Okami: Legend of Yuriterasu and the Sirius
by Roringugaru
Summary: "I will bear my fangs against the monsters that seek the destruction of the world." these were the thoughts of the great Sun God before she descended upon the Lower Plains disguising herself as a wolf. Of course she found great allies along the way; however her duty as Okami forces her to make difficult decisions. will she succeed in her duties or fall to ruin? (Crossover X AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello guys! This is sort of a bit of an experimental kind of story I'm trying out. But I'm hoping it will be a good story. please let me know why you guys think of it RxR please that always helps me out when I get feed back and opinions to know if the story is good or if I need to improve on something so thank you. Hopefully this will work well enjoy. **

**Little note when Yuriterasu is in wolf form and she speaks her speech will be in italics.**

Prologue

My duty is to protect our home but it is so much more than that…I must also protect the lower plains. It's where the humans live. Such a job has always been the task of the leader of the clans in the Celestial Plains. The House of Okami is my clan and I am it's leader; therefore it is only natural that this task has fallen to me and I proudly and gladly see to it that the undisturbed peace in both the Celestial and Lower plains just as my ancestors before me have done. My grandfather Shiranui waited patiently for the chosen hero Nagi to be born before he could take down the terrible 8 headed beast known as Orochi. For over many years the beast demanded a sacrifice of a young maiden in exchange for the safety of the village. With Nagi's help Shiranui was able to slay the beast and seal him away. but it came at a great cost; tired and wounded from the battle my grandfather gave what little life he had left to save Nagi from Orochi's last attempt at revenge. I had heard that the village wept and mourned for the loss of my grandfather… however his bloodline had not ended there. 100 years had passed when Nagi's descendent Susano freed the terrible beast and started a new legend. The legend of my mother Amaterasu. She battled with the grace of royalty and slew her enemies with the wrath and strength the god she was. It had soon become clear on her journey that many of the beast she slayed were servants of an even bigger threat the master of darkness Yami. Many allies were lost during her travels but Amaterasu would not yield to the darkness. In the end she drove back the evil that threatened the world. She returned to the Celestial plains to pass on in from this world from old age. Ah…I bet you thought us immortal us gods…we live long lives so long that my mother pass one at the age of over an eon and a half. But even we must retire and expire at some point. It was only two hundred years ago that I too he place as head of our clan preserving the peace and prosperity of the plains. However lately I cannot help but feel as though that peace is now threatened. The stars in the sky lately seem to tremble as they shimmer and it is not just because they twinkle. The thickness of the air seems to sometimes carry the subtle scent of death when no one else is around. I sense the chill in the air; something is coming. yet because I do not know what I cannot say hat it is to the other heads of the houses. I cannot send the entire Celestial plains into a whirlwind of chaos without a good reason. I must investigate what this feeling is; the threat seems to be coming from the Lower Plains. I must seek out what is happening. I have only told my right hand where I am going no one else must know what I am up to just yet. Of course he has made his protests known to me about leaving but I cannot sit by and do nothing while live are in danger. I must seek out the darkness and burn it with light before it has the chance to creep too far. I must prevent the humans from seeing the same darkness now that they were exposed to in my mother and grandfather's time. However I cannot go in my true form; I must find a way to go unnoticed lest innocent may come in harms way. I will disguise myself and search far and wide for the source of the danger. I will bear my fangs against the monsters that see out the destruction of the world. I pray though that I have not sensed it too late.

**Chapter 1: The First Encounter**

I stretch my wolf like body as I wake up from my sleep. The fresh morning air seems to do wonders for the body when first waking up. Shaking my fur loose I take another deep breath of air.

"_Now then…lets take a look as to where I landed."_ The jungle seems to be thing with green vegetation damp with morning dew as I walk pass them. the plants seem to reach out to me as I pass by closely. It's been a while since I walked on all fours but that doesn't seem to have an affect on my performance. Soon I come to a clearing with a clear lake. Many animals both predators and prey are gathered to drink from the lake. A panther looks up at me prompting others to look up as well. There's a tense silence as all the animals stare at me but I don't waver I stare straight on ahead. A rabbit suddenly comes up to me ears twitching back and forth. Slowly it comes closer to me sniffing my scent; after a few moments the rabbit nuzzles lovingly against my leg. the other animals soon walk up and greet me in their own way. Many think animals are creatures without a voice; but they have emotions for a reason. They have voices it's only that many do not understand they voice so they pass it off as noise. I can understand them…they're different from humans in the sense of size, shape and species but in terms of personality and behavior they are not so different. I take a moment on and drink from their pool the water clear and crisp to the taste and simply refreshing. As the ripples clear I can see my reflection a snow white wolf with crimson markings. The animals can see them since they are so clearly there. after my drink I turn to the other animals and bow my head slightly before leaving. As I walk off I can see out of the corner of my eye the animals bowing their heads to me before I am out of sight. as I look around I can tell that this island is not that large; it's big enough to maintain the life on this island that can be found. many trees bear fruit and bushes bear berries but it doesn't see large enough to sustain a human village of any size. Out on the beach there is a perfect view of the ocean but I see no path to lead me away from this place. The bushes rustle behind me and I turn to see a large stag. He bows his head before he speaks,

"_I hope I am not intruding on you."_

"_No far from it…tell me kind stag who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" I ask_

"_I am called Elstro, Great Mother…"_

"_Please there is no need to address me in such a manner Yuriterasu will be enough."_

"_of course."_

"_Tell me…are you all stuck on this island Elstro?"_

"_Yes lady Yuriterasu; although we are content." _I look back out at the sea contemplating my options.

"…_that is…good."_

_**Hmm…this will be a problem…I must get off this island but how. It is clear to me that the land has changed over the time I have been up in the Celestial Plains. The land is not as easy to travel these days as they were in those times…I will need a means of transportation…a ship…but I do not have the means to acquire one…hmpf. Well…no one said this would be easy…**_

"_If I may ask Lady Yuriterasu; what is it that troubles you? Why have you come to the Lower plains after so long?" _I look back at Elstro,

"_I am afraid my visit is not a friendly one… there is something I must check into and it is not on this island. I must make my way to the place once known as Kamiki Village. Would you know how I could go about doing that?"_Elstro shakes his head

"_I am afraid not my Lady." _As far as I can tell I have landed in the worst place possible. I have no means of getting off this island and no means of returning home either. My new dilemma puts me in a bit of a bind and a rather annoyed mood._**Sigh…no this will not be easy at all.**_

"_if it is a means of transportation you need though My Lady there are humans on this island at the moment." _My ears perk up at the news,

"_Really? Humans you say?"_ I am sad to say that my curiosity is now getting the better of me. I have never been down to the Lower Plains, let alone seen a human before. I had heard stories from my mother about them however I had always had the slight inkling to see them in person.

"_They seem to be gathering supplies as well as enjoying their time here; they have a ship as a means of getting here. Perhaps you can ask them to allow you onto the ship."_

"_Well if I were to talk to them I might as well bind them up for nearly going crazy…no I will have to get onto their ship another way…where are they exactly?"_

"_On the other side of this island just to the east."_

"_Well it shouldn't talk too long to get there…I suppose I shall have a look. Thank you for you help." _

"_it is an honor to help you lady Yuriterasu." _We bow our heads to each other slightly before I take my leave. I break into a dash heading through the jungle once again. running from low branches and jumping to the high canopies and back down to the jungle floor I breeze through obstacles in my way and reach the other side with ease. It was good exorcize and I find myself slightly panting from the long run. Now on the other side the air is hinted with a slight scent of burning wood. Voices can be heard as someone shouts while I hear others laugh. I take a moment to compose myself not only from the running but from my excitement of seeing my very first humans. I have to remind myself though that this isn't for fun, that I have a reason for approaching them. not to mention I'm not entirely sure if I can trust them just yet. Once I've reaffirmed this within myself I quietly walk up to edge of the jungle and look through the vegetation. The first thing I see is the ship Elstro told me about; it's rather large making me thing there are many humans here; although I don't see any of them at the moment. I do however see the fire they're burning along with other waiting logs. I take a moment to look at my surroundings before heading out into the open. As I come closer the sand seems to be littered with footprints and they seem to be familiar to me.

_**strange… they look like ordinary footprint, like ours back in the Celestial plains. **_

The fire seems to be decorated with wood around it like they'll stick something over the fire once they find it. in the shade the fire seems to give off a different sort of pleasant glow; although for me fire is naturally inviting to some extent. I take the liberty to lay down comfortably giving my paws and legs a rest from standing and running practically the whole day. I can't help but stare at the unusual contraption known as a ship.

_**They must be rather intelligent creatures to build something so large and massive…not to mention steering it must be rather complex as well. I wonder where it is they're heading…at least I'm getting closer to finding a way off this island.**_

My ears prick up as I hear the subtle footsteps from afar and listen to how many there are. with little effort I'm able to distinguish two different steps. A few moments later they disappear. _**Pity…and here I thought I would see them...well no sense in getting my fur in a bunch. I might as well take this time to relax…they'll eventually have to come back to this hearth.**_

I rest my head on my paws and breath in deeply; when I come to once again I make out the footsteps of two people. This time they stop close by as if stopping abruptly; I can't help but smile slightly,

_**It seems I've been spotted…haha…**_

I stretch waking myself up opening my mouth as wide as I can. As I do so I can hear them speaking,

"What's a wolf doing here?"

"I don't know but it seems to have taken an interest in the fire." The other laughs. I step from behind the fire to get a better look at the two humans; I'm shocked to see that they're really no different from us in the Celestial Plains for the most part. They stand on two legs and wear clothes just like we do. One seems to be younger than the other with big brown eyes and fluffy brown hair. The other seems to be darker than the other; I didn't expect for humans to come in different colors which surprises me slightly. He too seems to have brown eyes. He's taller than the younger looking one and his hair is black.

"Should we try shooing is away?" the younger one asks.

"No don't bother it; it's probably just curious. Anyhow I don't think it will mind us if we leave it alone." _**Well now…at least I can understand them…if I'm going by what I know in the Celestial Plains these ones are male humans. Well so long as I stay out of the way they don't seem to mind me…but how do I get passed them to their ship? If I could just sneak past them and hide I would be able to get off this island. **_

They make their was over to the fire and the younger places a piece of wood over the dwindling flames causing them to grow stronger again. I sit watching them curiously as they set down the items they were carrying, a few sharpened sticks and a basket. Intrigued by what they're up too I inch a bit closer sitting directly across from them on the other side of the fire. The older one looks up at me and chuckles lightly,

"You're a rather curious wolf aren't you. Are you trying to see what we're doing?" he turns to the younger one, "Thomas can you cut off a piece for me?"

"Oaky Doctor Christopher." The young one obeys and hands the older male a piece of something; then the older one takes the piece and holds it out to his side.

"Here you go." He beckons me over. _**Does he really intend for me to just walk up to him like a common dog? Hah hah well I suppose I can amuse him for a moment.**_ My mischievous side seems to come out as I walk up slowly to him pretending to be wary of him. "It's ok… here it's just a piece of fish."

"Do wolves even eat fish Doctor Christopher?"

"I'm not sure but she seems to be interested in it."

"How can you tell it's a girl?"

"Just a hunch; she was acting more feminine a moment ago and she sort of looks it in the face." _**He's rather perceptive isn't he…**_I reach close proximity of the older one and sniff what he has in his hand as to make them still believe I'm nothing more than a wolf. After a moment I take the fish from him before licking his finger. "There you go…" he reaches a hand up pets me behind the ear; I lean into his hand to make him think I like it. "Strange…you're rather friendly for a wolf."

"Yeah and her coats really white no dirt or anything from living out here."

"You're right Thomas she doesn't seem dirty in the slightest." I had heard that not many humans could see our crimson markings. The animals are able to since they believe and their ancestors passed on the history to their youth so not to forget but humans over time tend to forget things and allow the truth to fade into the forgotten past. In other words they do not believe in the gods any more. the one male called Christopher stops petting me and only stares at me, "Come to think of it I think you're the first wolf I've seen on this island before."

"Yeah you're right there's never been any wolves on this island when ever we stop here; did someone drop her off?"

"I don't know Thomas." The one called Thomas gets up and comes over to me scratching me on the back of my neck. I snap my head away listening for something.

_**What was that?**_

"Was that Eduardo's gun?"

"We better go see what- Hey!" I break into a mad dash from them heading for the cry for help I heard. As I get closer I make out the panther from before swiping a paw at another male human. He aims an unusual contraption at the panther; I bear my teeth as I pick up speed. There's a loud bang and the panther backs away tripping over it's feet. The human aims again but I step in front of the panther before he has time to use his weapon again. as I growl low at him I stand ready to attack. This human seems different than the other two before. One eye is covered with an eye patch while the other unscathed seems to be hazel. His flowy black hair helps to give him a cold demeanor. He's a bit taller than the other two I met earlier but at the moment I can only see him as a fly that needs to be swatted. His eye widens slightly as he watches me defend the panther.

"Eduardo stop!" the other two, Christopher and Thomas come running up "What is going on?"

"You tell me. this panther just attacked out of nowhere and now this wolf." turning my attention from the male called Eduardo and turn to the panther.

"_is what he says true?"_

"_I didn't raise the first paw My Lady." _ She answers, _"I only came to their territory because my cub is here as well."_

"_Your cub?"_

"_He wandered off without my knowing and I tracked him to this area. Then that human started attacking me for no reason!"_ she looks back at the male hackles raised as she glares at him with fierce yellow eyes. I had heard that in a panic some humans do extreme things but I hadn't ever seen it before. _**He must have mistaken the situation for something else…**_

"_Where is he now?"_

"_I saw my cub head somewhere behind him…I heard him calling for me not too long ago." _

"_I see…" _taking a moment to listen I hear her cub not too far off behind the male human. _"Stay here I will go and get him." _with that I make my way towards the human; he raises his weapon again.

"Eduardo don't!"

"She's nice she's not bothering anyone!" I stop for a moment but only to raise an eyebrow at this Eduardo. Letting out a breath his gun or what ever his little contraption is called turns red with heat.

"Ow! What the-" he drops the weapon tending to his burning hand as I strut passed him. "Hey!" I turn back around only to glare at him and he seems to stop in his tracks. _**Hmpf…**_

with that I make my way to find the lost cub; the rest of their encampment isn't too far off and I start my search for the lost cub. There are bags and other items all over the place as I search. Searching around I try to pick up the scent of the cub but still can't seem to find it. a shadow looms over me and I turn to see the three of them staring at me.

"You really are a curious wolf aren't you?"

"What the hell is it looking for?" _**well I can't exactly speak to them about it now can I? **_

"What's the matter girl? Did you lose something?" I find Thomas rather sweet but the way he speaks to me is rather…insulting considering I can actually understand him. I set the thought aside and continue my search. I listen again for the sound of the cub and again only hear a slight noise. Since I'm closer though I can tell which direction it's coming from and face the ship. My ears prick back and forth as I listen again and again I can hear the cub. As I start heading for the ship the male known as Eduardo steps in front of me to stop me; picking up my pace I charge at him and he raises his weapon at me. at the last second though I jump up and front flip over his head with great ease and land on the ship. As I look around I see yet another male human with two swords swinging away. his blonde hair is drenched with sweat as he continues the same combination for a while. It takes him a while for him to notice that I'm watching him; once he does he stares as me with wide green eyes.

_**Heh heh…well don't stop on my account…**_

He points a sword at me glaring,

"Hey what's a wolf doing on the ship?!" _**a bit of a bad temper isn't it…heheh.**_ "Get off our ship you mangy mutt!" brazenly he charges at me swinging a sword but I doge out of the way with ease. Again he swings at me and again I move out of the way; I find it rather amusing that he's trying so hard to hit me and make a bit of a game out of it as if I'm dancing around him. I jump behind and to the side of him having fun and it only seems to make him even angrier. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the three others watching the show. As I did to Eduardo I front flip over his head and land behind him. as he turns I look over my shoulder smirking at him; letting my mischievous side take over I wag my tail at him beckoning him to try again. I watch as I see the vein pop up on the side of his head.

"What's the matter Russell, having trouble beating a wolf?" Eaduardo taunts him as Russell huffs; the others try to stifle themselves from laughing. If there's one thing I can't stand more than a threat to all of the world it's people who think they can criticize others in such a way.

_**Well if they're going to be like that… perhaps I can let them join in on the fun…**_ _**I'll need this swordsman's help for that.**_

With a plan in mind I creep up behind Russell and get his attention by pulling on his boot,

"Hey quit it you dumb mutt!" with a bit of force I pull back and forth and yank his boot right off; the force makes him fall over on his back. While he picks himself up I take his boot and jump up onto the edge of the ship. "Hey! What do you think you're doing you stupid Mutt?!" I can't help but wag my tail at the funny face he's making since he's so easy to anger. Stretching over the edge I let the boot hover over the shallow waters. "Don't you DARE my mangy flea bag! If you do I swear I'm going to skin you alive!" as he continues to shout at me I let the boot drop from my mouth and watch it splash into the water. "You Damn Mutt!" _**hahahahah…Oops.**_

He lunges at me with his sword coming at me; I leap into the air and gracefully land on the blade. Russell's eyes go wide with astonishment as he stares at me and follows as I leap into the air again and land back on the ground. he stares at me dumbstruck not able to comprehend what just happened.

"Wow…!"

"That's one agile wolf."

"Russell you're being outdone by a wild dog." _**This human is quite amusing…but perhaps I am showing off a bit much…**_ I hear a small roar coming from the other side of the ship; when I look I spot a small panther cub, the one I am looking for. _**Alright first the humans then the cub.**_

I wag my tail in front of Russell's face causing him to snap again and again her chases after me. once I have him lined up for where I want him to be I taunt him once again and he charges; when I move out of the way he's on a collision course with the other three. When he collides with them it sends them all over the edge and into the shallows of the ocean.

"Damn it Russell!" I hear Eduardo shout before I head over to the tiny cub. With their ears back the cub looks up at me lost and alone,

"_Do not worry young one I will take you back to your mother…" _ he seems to be a bit young you speak just yet but he seems to understand me and nestles against my leg. as he purrs I touch my nose to his forehead for a moment before picking up the cub by the scruff of his neck. As I leave I feel someone watching me but I pay no mind since I feel no threat from it and trot off of the ship. As I do I stop for a moment on the beach to take a look at the four humans ringing out their clothes. For humans they are quite attractive as they have no shirts on. however I only stare for a moment before I start trotting off again to the panther mother. As she recognizes her baby she calls out to him and he does the same. I set the cub down but he remains in place for a moment looking up at me. gently I nudge him towards his mother a few times and he waddles over to her. when he's made it to her she wastes no time in bonding with him again and reassuring her young charge, licking and purring against the young kit.

"Ah I get it; so that's what you were looking for." I turn to see Christopher smiling at us, "You were looking for her cub; so that's what happened."

"Wow but I didn't think that wolves and panthers would be friends though." Thomas says, "It's kind of weird."

"True... it is unusual for a wolf and panther to get along so well."

"…so it came on the ship looking for the panthers cub…? Why didn't the mother just come herself?" Russell asks impatiently. I look over at Eduardo who seems to be looking away with a slightly guilty look on his face. _**So…there is a kind heart beneath that harsh exterior after all…and here I thought he was quite heartless…**_

he notices me looking at him, "What?" I slightly bow my head in respect to him, "hmpf she almost acts as if she understands us…" his words are harsh but he gives a smirk before walking up to me kneeling down. "you can't be all bad for making a fool out of Russell…" he ruffles the top of my head for a moment before standing. A moment later I feel something playing with my tail. When I look it's the tiny cub with his mother watching off in the short distance away.

"What's with all the noise?" a calm voice comes from yet another male.

_**There must be female humans somewhere in the Lower Plains…isn't there? **_

This male wears a piece of cloth over his brown hair. Unlike Eduardo who emanates a cold air this human only seems to hide his. Not much can be read based on his expression nor in his deep brown eyes. Now that I take a closer look everyone seems to be wearing different clothing not just due to different shapes and heights but in personalities as well. It intrigues me how humans are able to think to this comprehension however it is most likely due to the fact that I have not come into contact with humans before now. The new comer carries a platter with something on it of many colors. He notices me, "What's with this?"

"it's a wolf Nathan!" Thomas exclaims

"…I can see that; I mean what's it doing here?"

"It's a long story; but this one is actually quite smart."

"Smart how Doc?"

"She was able to make a fool out of Russell." Eduardo says smugly

"She did not!"

"Yeah...you're right she is smart." Nathan says, "She's been watching you guys looking at whoever is talking." Nathan walks over to me watching the cub play with my tail as I amuse it by twitching it back and forth. He sets down the platter and takes a yellow cube from it "You like mango?" my eyebrow raises slightly at the unusual name of the food. "here." He holds the cube out to me and after I curiously sniff it I take the cube. The tangy and sweet flavor let me know it's a kind of fruit and I enjoy the treat as much as possible before licking my lips. Nathan smiles slightly before petting me behind the ear, "If you can tell it's good quality then you are pretty smart for a wolf." Nathan stands, "If you guys want some you better eat it now before it gets too warm."

Thomas starts stroking my fur now,

"You think we can take her with us?"

"I don't know Thomas…it'd be one thing if she was a dog but she's a wild animal…" Christopher says

"She'd fit right in; we're not exactly tame ourselves." Eduardo says. _**So that's all it takes huh…I just need to pluck at their heartstrings… perhaps I don't need to sneak on their ship. **_

"Wait you guys aren't really thinking about taking that dumb mutt on the Sirius are you?!" Russell protests.

"Aw c'mon Russell, look at her; she's so cute." _**Excuse me…?**_

"Besides you don't want her on the ship because she was able to outsmart you…" Eduardo pokes fun.

"Not that I would mind having a wolf on the ship, especially one that knows good food but I think you guys are forgetting one thing…Captain."

"Nathan's right you guys…it's ultimately his choice; besides we may not have enough room on the ship to take her with us." Christopher's words make the others go quiet. _**So there's one more human I must meet; sounds to me like he might be the leader of this pack…looks like I'll have to convince him of letting me on the ship before I can get on…**_

the little cub continues to play with my tail as I continue to mull over my options.

_**I'd rather avoid telling them about my reason for being here; so that will only leave me with somehow convincing him while still a wolf. **_

"Where is the captain anyway?"

"Last I saw he was in his room." _**Well it looks as though I will not be meeting him right now. There's no point in me staying around here for the time being. I'll check again once it's evening. **_

I pick up the tiny cub and take him over to his mother before looking back at the humans I just met and leave.

…

while the day goes on I watch the humans from the shrubbery of the jungle unnoticed. They go about doing their own things from what I believe to be chores and work to playing games with each other; there are two of them however, Nathan and Eduardo who do their own thing and leave the fun to the others. however the whole entire time as I wait I find no sign of the last Human they were talking about…this Captain of theirs seems to lack in presence. Soon dinner comes around and there is still no sign of the captain. Thomas leaves a small plate of cooked fish for me hoping it will attract me to come out again but I would like to make my appearance again only when their leader has shown himself. I am not a common dog that they can just call on demand. As I wait Elstro comes to visit with me. we make light conversation as I wait for the right time to make my appearance again. finally late at night when the others are ready to sleep the final human makes his appearance. He looks to be the oldest out of all of them with dark brown hair and a tuft of hair on the bottom of his chin. I've seen a few in the different houses of the Celestial Plains do the same. He's quite mature looking and there's an air of kindness and authority about him that I'm used to seeing in the houses; however he seems to be more gentle than them. just like the other humans his clothes depict a certain personality yet unlike the others his clothing seems to represent that he has higher status than the others. they talk for a moment before they others leave and the captain starts to eat.

_**This is my chance…**_I turn to Elstro and thank him for the company before I trot off into the open again. the plate Thomas left for me is close enough to the captain so I head for it first. The fish has been sitting out for a while and I can smell it starting to spoil. The smell even causes me to sneeze; I hear a hearty laugh come from the captain.

"Thomas told me he left you that to eat but I guess it's not very good any more is it?" he pulls off a large portion of his fish and tosses it over to me, "There you go; it's better to enjoy bounty together than alone." I take the fish in my mouth and trot over to him before sitting down and eating. "Huh…the others weren't kidding you are a strange wolf." He chuckles as he takes a bite of fish. His brown eyes seem to dance with life as he speaks to me. "The others were talking to me about how they were considering having you on the ship but I don't know…can you do anything? you seem to be quite silent."

_**Does he want me to howl? Well perhaps I can give him a different kind of demonstration. **_

"Ah but having a wolf barking at every little thing would be bad too wouldn't it." _**hm…he's contemplating this like it's the most serious thing…**_ "the others said you acted like you could understand them…well you're sitting here listening like you can." I look over at him giving my attention, "You know we're pirates; we sail on the seas more than we stay on land." _** That's what I'm hoping for…**_ "You're more of a land animal so would you even be comfortable being on a ship?" I say nothing in response only nod my head, "hahah you almost fooled me there for a moment." He pets my head looking up at the sky, "The moon is supposed to be waxing right now, should be just showing up too." Looking up the clouds cover the nighttime view, the stars can't even shine through the thick clouds. "there's nothing like good food with a nighttime view." _**If that's what you want then that's what you'll get captain, **_I stand up and step forward; I give him his wish and let off a mighty how into the sky commanding the clouds to clear away. the stars shimmer and shine in the night sky and a large waxing moon graces us with its presence as well. "Well I'll be…hahaha I guess the god of luck is on my side today!" he's rather carefree for a leader but he seems happy now that he can enjoy the view. I return to my spot next to him and view the sky with him. a strong scent fills the air and I look to see the captain holding a bottle of some sort of drink. the scent is somewhat familiar to me. "Ah this is a bit of Yamato sake…it's called Steel Soul Sake." I remember drinking this at banquettes held in the Celestial Palins. He thinks for a moment before he pours a bit of the Sake into the lid, "Here you go. I'm not sure if you'll be able to handle it but this should give you-" as soon as he sets the lid down I lap up the alcohol as fast as I can, "…a taste… heh you really are unusual for a wolf…I tell you what?" I look up from the Sake, "I'll let you be a Sirius Pirate; but you got to do your share of work too." He pours another drink into the lid, "Lets drink on it wolf." _**That is something I can agree on. **_at the same time we drink the sake making a deal. _**Thank you captain for giving me passage on the sea…and I'm sorry for having to use you in such a way…but in order to protect you and the rest of the world I must get off this island…so I will play along for a while until I reach my destination…then I'm afraid we will have to part ways. For the time being though…I hope treating me as a pet shall make up for it in some small way…**_

…

**ok this is the end of the first chapter please let me know what you think. P.s. sorry if the ending seems a bit rushed…I was kind of having a hard time ending it off. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Cursed Zone (part 1)**

"Hey Come on Snowy…! Ow! Hold still…!" Thomas is in the middle of trying to give me a bath. Now it's not that I don't like baths, far from it actually. I love baths but I'd rather use a hot spring and herbal bath soaps to take a bath; I always loved having a nice relaxing dip in the Celestial hot spring in my home. A beautiful tall cherry blossom tree gives enough shade in the summer and a beautiful view of the land in the winter; the petals along with the mineral salts and the plum blossoms oils creates a perfect concoction for relaxing. However now that I am disguised as a wolf I am given a bath as a pet and Thomas doesn't really know how to give baths to wild dogs. His hands are rough as he tries to keep me in the wooden tub and the more he scrubs too hard the more I fight against him turning it into a vicious cycle. This is the second time in a few weeks since I've been on the ship known as the Sirius that he's given me a bath. It doesn't help when he uses cold water as well. I finally jump out of his reach dripping water onto the deck behind me. the rest of the water weight leaves my fur as I shake away the rest of the water off me; as I shiver from the sea breeze along with my wet fur before shooting Thomas an annoyed look." Hey Snowy! Come on I'm not finished…!" a slight growl escapes me as I walk off to warm in the sunlight. "Urgh… are you mad again?"

_**Of course I am…! I'm being treated as a common house mutt!**_

"What do you expect Thomas? You literally have to fight Snowy every five seconds to keep her in the tub." Russell laughs at the mess laid before Thomas. A shiver runs up my spine as I sit in the sun. something covers my head and I let another growl escape to let them know I am in no mood to be messed with.

"Sorry Snowy I'm just trying to dry you off a bit." For some strange reason the human pirates have come to call me Snowy; since they don't know who I am I can't really protest to it so I answer to it. Christopher does a better job at drying off my fur than the youngest and I find relief in the fact that he won't be too rough. "There that's better…" in their own ways they all seem to show affection and excitement about having a pet on their ship. I will admit it's been enjoyable so far to be on a ship and travel from place to place but we've been to a few places already but none of them seem to be Kamiki village.

_**I can't keep wasting time on a ship playing house with these humans as enjoyable as this has been…I have to get to Kamiki and find out what is going on…with any luck I'll find Sakuya…she may be able to give me some insight as to what is going on.**_

"For a wolf she causes a lot of trouble," Eduardo says, "We lost her at the last few ports we were at."

"Yeah Snowy you're supposed to stay on the ship!" _**if you keep pointing that finger at me Russell…you'll soon find it to be gone.**_

"Well what did you guys expect she's a wolf; Snowy's more independent than a regular dog in a lot of ways." _**Well at least Christopher is making a bit of sense. **_While they stopped at the last two ports at the request of Morgan, their captain, I have wandered off in search of any evidence as to what caused the disturbance back in the Celestial plains but each search has turned up nothing.

_**At this rate I may have to find a more direct means of travel to Kamiki Village. **_

"She's all white…you would think it would be easy to spot her…"

"Hey I know! How about we put a ribbon on her; you know so that she's easier to spot." at Thomas's remark I glare at him letting off a growl.

"I don't think she like's that idea Thomas." Eduardo says.

_**I am not a house pet... there is a limit as to how much I will allow for you to treat me as such.**_

"Well I don't know a bout a ribbon but what about this?" the sun glints off something that sparkles in the light and captain Morgan stands there holding a chain of gold with a bright red stone dangling from it. in his other hand as usual he has a bottle of some type of booze; judging from the scent though it's not any kind of sake I would want. he kneels down and shows me the gold chain up close; inside the stone the red stone glints with gold reminding me of the sun itself. "Like this? You're going to have to wear it though if you want it." I know I have to appease them in order to keep up the charade of a wolf pet so I wag my tail slightly and allow my ears to go back as I sniff the jewel. Everyone slightly laughs at the fake demeanor I give before he places the chain around my neck. Morgan then roughly pets my head messing up the damp fur. "Hahaha that's better now you're a real Sirius pirate Snowy!" out of all the humans on this ship Morgan is the most interesting and entertaining. He's rather laid back for a leader for my taste and all he ever does on land is head to the red light district as far as I can tell. The women seem to know him well in those areas which leads me to believe he isn't suitable for a life long mate. How do I know this? I've watched from afar learning about how humans interact with one another and their lifestyle. His is rather promiscuous to say the least unlike his crew who finds other means of entertainment for their time on the ship. Eduardo looks into finding information about treasures and whatnot; I've seen Christopher trade off treasure and money for herbs and medicines at stores called apothecaries. Even Nathan the silent one goes out to buy more food and restock his kitchen and I have to say his food is quite good. But as interesting as the human world is I have no time to interact with them.

"once we eat we'll have a meeting to discuss where we'll go next." Captain says as he stands.

"Do you have an idea as to where we're going?" Christopher asks.

"hmmm…nope not yet." Once again Morgan's laidback attitude shows as he laughs. Christopher sighs,

"It's amazing sometimes that's you're the pirate king." _**him? a king…he surely doesn't act like it.**_ "Heheh I think Snowy's having a hard time believing it as well." The others snicker as I look at Captain Morgan.

"What you don't think I am?" Morgan asks me; I merely get up and trot off not justifying the question with an answer of any sort.

"Hey Food's ready!" Nathan calls and everyone heads to the mess hall with me trotting behind the group.

…

Once everyone has finished eating they head for the meeting room to discuss their next destination. As usual they leave me outside the door and no matter how much I try to get in they won't let me. so instead I listen to their conversation through an open window. jumping up onto some barrels I'm able to see through the window unnoticed.

"Alright where are we money wise Eduardo." _**The captain is being strangely serious now…**_

"We're running low; we may have enough for stocking up on a few supplies but we need more."

"Well then I guess it's time for us to find another treasure." The captain thinks for a moment,

"If we're going to go on another adventure we should stop by another port and restock on medical supplies…I'm running low on some." Christopher suggests before Nathan speaks up,

"Same goes for food; we'll need to make sure we have it all if we're going to be on the sea for a while."

"Yeah you're right…so did anyone hear anything of value before we left the last port?"

"Isn't that part of your job captain?" Russell asks,

"well it is but I was a bit busy to do so." _**Yes…too busy spreading your offspring around…I wouldn't be too surprised if he had his own pack walking around here and there on each port. **_

"Captain were you at the brothels again…?" Christopher seems annoyed.

"er..well…"

"sigh…well that solves part of the mystery as to why we're low on cash."

"Heheh."

"Captain how many times do I have to tell you not to burn all our money at those kinds of places?"

"Er…I've lost track."

"Sigh…anyway…"

"I got one." Eduardo interjects, " I heard; there's a legend about a sword or something on a deserted island. Apparently the legend goes that it was used to slay a giant serpent on two occasions." _**A serpent…? **_"the funny thing about this serpent is that it had several heads." _**It can't be…are they talking about the re-forged sacred sword Tsumugari? It was said that mother put that sword back at the moon cave shrine to ward off evil…if they truly mean to go after that sword I may have to take action against them…**_

"Sounds interesting but…it sounds like that treasure may have been left there for a reason. What else?" Captain puts an end to that idea and I let out a sigh of relief.

"there's also a treasure I heard about that's in a cave some sort of unusual jewel; it's supposed to be a treasure of a griffon."

"Where is it located?"

"A tropical island south of our current location." _**Sounds like they're not going to head for Kamiki village…**_

…

Night falls and I follow Morgan into his room taking my bed on the small chair he has in his room. Out of all the rooms his was the most comfortable and no one put up an argument about it. although right now I'm not in a good mood nor in any mood to be messed with. once again their next destination is not where I want to go. They took their sweet time in choosing where to go and I waited patiently for them to make their decision.

_**Sigh this form limits me far too much. If I could just tell them what is happening then it would be easier…but it's been too long since humans have remembered us. they don't even remember the tragedies and accomplishments of our ancestors. At best they would think I was some sort of monster they awakened…they would not believe me to be a god… I have been patient long enough; if this continues I may have to find a different route to Kamiki…**_

"Hey Snowy what's with that look on your face?" I crane my head to look at Morgan. "You seem to be in a bad mood." I turn away uninterested in what he has to say. "Hm…you're hard to read sometimes." As I rest my head on my paws I hear him walk over to the other side of the room before I hear the clinking of glass. The next moment a familiar scent fills the air causing me to look up. "Hehehe You like booze as much as I do right; although I'm not as picky as you are." he holds a jug of Sake up, "I wonder if you'll like this kind too; it's called Thunder Brew." He pours some into my usual saucer and sets it down near his desk where he sits. I take a moment to think it over before getting off the chair and joining him for a drink. after a few moments I hear him speak, "Not bad huh." I continue to drink without a pause. "Hahah as much as you drink Snowy I'm surprised you don't get drunk." _**I have a very high tolerance…**_ "Ah if I could I'd retire on my own private island with all the booze in the world." I finish the sake and look up at him wanting more. he chuckles, "Here you go." He refills my drink and I waste no time in drinking more. "You know I'm kind of curious about that one treasure Eduardo mentioned first. The sword or whatever it was." I stop lapping up the sake as I listen to him. "it did seem interesting probably would have been a good sell too." _**Are humans always this greedy?**_ "You're pretty clever though…I saw you listening in on our discussion. It was out of the corner of my eye but you were there." it's silent again as I continue to drink with him. once I finish I find him staring down at me. "You know I saw you the first time as well; back on the island where we found you. I was watching you have fun with Russell. I could tell right off you weren't a normal wolf." He sets his liquor down, "But what I can't tell is what's different about you. You always disappear when we make port going off into the forest before I lose you." _**So you've been watching me…you're more perceptive than I thought. **_"hm…" he comes down to my level. "You didn't want us going after that treasure did you?" I don't answer, " why though? if you're a wolf then you wouldn't have been so alarmed about us going after a treasure." _**What you don't understand is that Sword has sacred powers and it wards off evil from entering that land…**_ "just what exactly are you Snowy?" he studies me at such a close proximity his nose nearly touches mine. after a long endless moment I blow my alcohol stained breath in his face. He retreats waving a hand in his face, "Whoa! Hahhahahah! Man Snowy your breath smells just as strong as the real thing!" even though I have a duty to perform down here in the Lower Plains I can't help but enjoy his company sometimes is relaxing to have around. For a few precious moments I forget that there is a threat out there and I have a chance to observe what human life is like for a brief moment. _**It's times like this I wish I wish I could speak with him…**_

Morgan get up from his desk and head over to his bed. The bed creaks under his weight as he lays down. he pats the space next to him beckoning me over. With my feet dragging slightly I walk over and jump on the bed with ease. he gently pets my head; smiling gently.

"My brother would love you Snowy."

_**He has a brother?**_

"I think he would have wanted to take you away if he could; he had a thing with animals wild ones in particular." Morgan finds a spot behind my ear that seems to tickle slightly and I allow him better access. "yeah…he would have loved meeting you." Pretending to be affectionate like he wants I lean over and place my head on his chest hearing his heart beat steadily. To be honest I would be lying if I said that I hadn't grown slightly accustomed to this. every night I since I arrived on this ship I would lay next to him and rest my head on his chest until he falls asleep mumbling about nothing important. Once he did sleep I would move away but the fact that he's brought something up such as his brother I can't ignore his words this time. "we would always get into trouble when we were young. We did everything together. Heh heh…we're twins you wouldn't even be able to tell us apart from the other if we were in the same room together." a look of nostalgia mixed with sleepiness covers his face and also sadness. "I haven't seen him for years though…can't really say what he's been up to now…"

_**I wonder if those two are worrying…of course they are…I left them without one word. I hope they're not giving Kagu too much trouble. **_Soon I hear the captain's even breaths letting me know he's asleep. I watch him for a minute or two but his talk about his brother has me thinking about my family now among other things. Needing some fresh air I quietly jump down from the bed and make my way over to the door. Turning back around I take a look at Morgan and catch him turning his back to me in his sleep. The blanket for the bad lays on the ground; I smile slightly as I watch him. as I walk over to pick up the blanket my wolf form melts away and I walk on two legs. A bushy white wolf tail and flowing, long, white hair follow behind me but if it wasn't for those characteristics and the wolf ears n the top of my head I would most likely be mistaken for a human. Picking up the blanket red markings are painted on the back and up my arm that's covered by a long white flowy sleeve. I place the blanket over the Captain before turning to leave. As I do so I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror he hardly ever uses in the corner. An delicate looking white and red hakama covers my form and the red markings of the gods sparkle slightly with gold. (_**A.N.**_** to get the entire image I was going with refer to cover image. I didn't want to make her sound self-centered by having her describe her "Beauty".)** I'm not sure why he has that mirror since he never uses it. quietly I open the door and sneak out of the room. No one seems to be out one the deck as I head for the side of the ship. Flicking my hand in a circle summons a long smoking pipe made of red and gold. Smoke already comes out of it as I puff on the pipe producing a tiny red glow from it. a long stream of smoke trails off into the night sky as I exhale. I lean on the edge of the ship lost in thought.

_**Him talking about his brother makes me think of my family back home…those little trouble makers are probably causing a ruckus at home poor Kagu must be having a hard time…and Itosai as well…as my right hand I left him in charge of things in my absence…I'm sure there are some who are giving him a hard time about it asking him about my whereabouts and what not…**_

I take another long puff on my pipe.

_**If I don't reach my destination…his efforts will have been in vain and I will have worried everyone for nothing…as much as I like being on this ship I have to get on with my mission…I need to get to Kamiki immediately . now…what options do I have right now…? There's one where I leave this ship and go on stowing away on the next ship to Kamiki. There's the option that I stay on this ship and somehow sway the captain to change the destination. It's too much trouble to find another ship…I don't have the time for all that watching and waiting and perfect timing. So that just leaves me with…**_

"Huh?" I turn to see Thomas; it looks like he just came down from the tall lookout on the main mast. "Er…H-HUH?!" I raise an eyebrow as I smirk as he blushes looking at me. "I…I got to be dreaming!"

"Are you now…?" I say teasing him a bit; I can tell just by looking at him he's exhausted from keeping watch so I cause a bit of mischief.

"Y-Yeah… I am…I'm gonna close my eyes…and…and you won't be there anymore miss!" he squeezes his eyes shut placing a hand over them.

"Hee Hee…What are you doing Young man?" I knock the pipe against the boat side and throw it in the air, snapping my fingers makes it disappear.

"I'm just tired. I'm going to count to 3 and you'll be gone." He starts counting "1…" I quietly take a step towards him, "2…" he peeks out of the corner of his eye and finger glimpsing at me for only a moment as I take another quiet step towards him, "…t-t-2 and ½" I have to admit that Thomas has many cute moments. By now I've reached him face to face but he doesn't see me through his blind fold. "Th-3!" he opens his eyes looking straight forward. I watch him from below as he looks left and right. I whine slightly getting his attention with a jolt. "Oh Snowy…it's you…" he kneels down and strokes my fur. "I must be more tired than I thought; for a moment I thought I was talking to a Goddess or something."

_**Oh how right you are…**_

"Say I thought you were in Captain's room; did he let you out?" he rubs an eye before he yawns, "well…it doesn't matter do you want to sleep in my room?"

I have no choice but to follow him at the moment so I go with him; once he's asleep I leave and head back up to the deck to the Captains room. As I enter Morgan's slight snoring fills the quiet room. Opening and closing a door as a wolf is actually quite easy and I make quick work of closing it. I change forms again walking over to him as he sleeps. His peaceful face almost looks angelic as I look on. a sting of guilt pangs in my chest,

"I'm sorry Morgan but I must get to Kamiki village as quickly as possible…and for that I will have to force you to change your mind…" I harden my resolve and place a hand on his forehead. I close my eyes as I begin to sway his mind. As I sift through his thoughts many memories play in front of me from his youth to even now. One image flashes in front of me eyes as he dreams. There are two Morgans as they walk in the rain. One is leaning on the other injured and bleeding slowly. it's the pirate king Morgan and the other dressed as a fighter.

_I haven't seen my brother in years…_

The pirate king falls over and the other tries to help him up. however it doesn't take a genius to know that he won't be getting back up. I disconnect from his mind forgetting my objective. I can't help but cover my mouth with a hand.

_I haven't seen my brother in years…_

_**How sad…his brother is gone…I've seen something I shouldn't…I'm sorry Morgan…no one not even a god should intrude on something so precious and sacred to a person…**_

With regret for what I've done and seen I change back into a wolf and find a place in the room to finally sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Cursed Zone (Part 2)**

A few days have passed since that night. The early morning comes but Morgan allows for me to sleep more through the morning. He tries to remain as quiet as possible but he doesn't notice the subtle creaks he makes on the wooden floor. As I pretend to still slumber he reaches down and lightly pets my head before leaving the room. When the door clicks shut I rise quietly stretching before moving to the bed and laying down again. I must admit I've become quite lazy since yesterday since they had their full moon party. With all the boisterous entertainment I couldn't help but enjoy the party.

_**Their parties are much more…wild than the parties of the gods in the Celestial Plains. **_

My eyes close drowsily and I nearly fall into a new pit of slumber when I hear a high pitched whistle before the ship sways violently. My first thought is that an enemy is attacking the ship and I race to the door beating it down with ease. I'm ready to attack when I see another ship pulling up next to us.

_**What on earth?**_

"Snowy what did you do?!" Russell looks at me surprised seeing the door knocked down. "Captain's gonna be pissed when he sees that…" there's another explosion before the ship rocks again calling the others to show up.

"What's going on now?"

"You guys it's the Rika!" Thomas points to the ship sailing closer to us.

_**The Rika…another band of human pitates?**_

"Oh great…what do they want now?"

"it's Alan it can't be too hard to figure out…" they all seem as though they don't hold these humans in high regards. Feeling slightly annoyed I start to think that I got out of bed for nothing. Soon a board is placed on the sides of the boat making a path to the Sirius. As they come across the path I open my mouth and stretch letting off an uninterested groan.

"Yeah you're not the only one Snowy…" Eduardo says, "Anyone know where the captain is?"

"Right here." Morgan comes from the meeting room and notices the door to his room, "How did…?"

"Snowy did it." Russell says as I curl into a mound of fur to fall asleep again.

"Heh heh you have a lot more power than I thought you did Snowy."

"Morgan prepare yourself!" the voice makes me interested to look up and find a human male with black hair. He seems quite unusual since he's wearing all black. He seems to be as tall as Morgan but not as well built and the clothes seem to hide this fact. The look in his dark brown eyes tells me that he has more experience running from battle rather than fighting in one. " The great and awesome captain Alan will defeat you today!" I hear Morgan sigh,

"Alan how many times are you going to attack my ship? You try this almost every single day and you don't get anywhere. How do you even find treasure when you follow me all the time?"

"I'm not following you; fate and destiny just make it so that we run into each other!" I can't help but raise a doubtful eyebrow,

_**it's quite clear that he's lying…**_

three others jump onto the ship. A rather large female human who wears a pink dress. Her curly blonde hair is held in place with a bandana and there is a life in her dancing blue eyes that shows she enjoys her life on the sea. When I look at the other two they actually look to be the same person. In every aspect from their brown hair and eyes to their clothing and weapons they are identical. If not for the different colors of their clothing they would be mistaken for each other.

"Alan it's too early for this…come back later for your beating would you?"

"Are you chickening out?!"

"If anyone's the chicken it's you!" Russell intervenes

"Shut up you skinny little monkey; Master Alan isn't even remotely close to a monkey in any way." The chubby pink one suddenly speaks up.

"Who the hell are you calling a monkey?! You oversized chubby gorilla!"

"Who are you calling a Gorilla?!"

_**My what a ruckus they all make…it's as if they're trying to see who can be the loudest…**_ I get up and move away from the crowd of humans heading to a shaded spot on the deck near the mast.

"Hey, what's a dog doing on your ship?" I seemed to have finally been noticed by the one human called Alan. Although this doesn't interest me that much; I only give him a bored glance before lying down in the shade.

"She's not a dog Alan; Snowy's a wolf."

"A wolf?! Where the hell did you pick that thing up?!" his words along with his tone irritate my already short temper from the rude awakening and I give Alan a cold glare. His body tenses as he stares at my cold gaze. "Wh-what? Don't tell me you can understand what I'm saying you flea bag."

"We're still trying to figure that out ourselves Alan…although I don't think any animal would take to kindly to being called a thing or a flea bag." Morgan says. "How 'bout it Snowy? You want to put him in his place?" Captain Morgan smiles widely and my rising anger seems to calm a bit.

"What are you talking about Morgan that dog can't even-" I don't even allow him to finish as I pounce on Alan with enough force to cause him to tumble backwards as I jump off him. at the edge of the ship he tries his best to maintain his balance from falling in his arms flailing about. he manages to do so standing up on one leg while the other is dangling in the air. I trot up to him staring at him amused. I'm sure he notices the devilish smirk on my face; with tears in his eyes he looks at me begging me not to go further. I look back at Morgan. I can't quite place it but I get the feeling that these humans are not really enemies more like friendly rivals and so not wanting to break the bond between them I try to make my next choice carefully.

"Hahahahahaha Go for it Snowy; Do what you gotta do!" Morgan only laughs and I finish my work as I go behind Alan and merely bump him lightly. The small impact was enough to send him falling into the ocean with a big splash.

"Master Alan!"

"Captain!" the three of them become preoccupied with fishing out their soggy captain as I walk back to the shade. The whole of the Sirius crew laugh or praise me for what I've done.

_**Humans are so easily entertained…**_ as I watch the three finally get their captain back on the ship my body tenses as the stench of death suddenly douses my nose. A dark chill runs down my spine as a moan slowly drifts through the air.

_**This disturbance…it's similar to the one I felt back in the Celestial Plains…! Where? Where is it coming from? **_

I zone in on where the malice is coming from, behind Captain Alan.

"You mangy beast how dare you- Hey!" I run past Fuzzy and the twins barring towards me making my way towards the down captain.

"Down! heel, heel!" he panics as I come towards him again but instead of attacking him I jump behind him and grab him by his collar. Swinging around I gain enough momentum to fling the captain out of danger and leap to safety myself. when I land I face the direction the evil will spring from.

"What do I look like you mangy flea bag a chew toy!" I pay no mind to him in the slightest. "Hey I'm talking to you…you dog!"

"What's wrong with Snowy?"

"I don't know; something's off though."

"Yeah…Hey Snowy why so serious all of a sudden?!" Russell shouts but I still pay no mind to them.

"Hey I was talking to the fleabag first; it still hasn't answered me yet!"

"Alan shut up!" Morgan shouts. I remain at the ready waiting for the enemy to come; growling at the empty space. Footsteps make their way over to me, "What is it Snowy? What's out there?" A bubbling noise suddenly comes from between the connected ships and my body tenses even more; noticing this Captain Morgan shouts at the others to be on guard. The ship sways back and forth until finally, the water erupts into tall torrents as something springs out from the ocean. Only two land in front of Morgan and I but I make out two other creatures landing on the boat behind us. they appear to be the same creature. They walk on what looks like crab legs but appear to have the upper body of a human female. Their soggy hair covers their faces and their arms seem to be replaced with large pinchers. Through their hair I can make out the faint glow of red to be their eyes. They sway back and forth in front of us clicking and clacking their claws in front of us. they let off a shrill hiss; in return I give a ferocious bark.

"Hey Morgan what's the big idea? What are these things?!" Alan asks. Other crab monsters suddenly pop up on the Rika as well and I begin to lose count of how many there actually are.

"I don't know but unless you want to find out get on your feet Alan." One monster leaps to attack Morgan but I don't allow it to reach him as I leap forward to meet it head on. "Snowy!" it raises a pincer as it lets off another shill; my body lurches up as I dodge the claw and latch on with a fierce bite. As I land I bring the claw along with the rest of the monster down on it's back. Letting go I jump away and turn back to face the down monster writhing on the deck. The counter attack turns all the monsters attention to me as I planned.

_**I can't allow the others to get involved I have no choice now; I can't hide myself any longer…I have no choice but to attack!**_

As I let off a mighty howl the sky seems to become brighter in reaction as the sun shines brighter. My back feels hot as fire swirls around me in different colors of blues and greens and reds and many others that none have seen. Finally the flames settle down as they burn on my back; the reflector and family heirloom to my house Solar Flare is revealed in all its glory.

"What in the world…"

"Snowy…"

"Hey what the Hell is up with that mangy mutt! Where did that plate thing come from?!"

as I bare my teeth at the monsters they begin to surround me. I glance back at moment our eyes meeting for a brief moment; he seems to understand and nods,

"Don't interfere." He says calmly to the others before I turn my attention back to the Crab Queens (as I have now come to call them). the air becomes tense as we face off; one of the Crab Queens makes the first move as they leap forward and try to attack. Solar Flare moves according to my thoughts and movements as I slash at the monster; the reflector burns through the Crab Queen cutting it's body in half before erupting into a puff of petals and flowers. As soon as that one is down the others begin to attack. These enemies however down seem to be too tough and it feels more like a warm up as I dance about in a deadly pattern striking down each one of them as the Crab Queens continue their onslaught. As some come from above I use a skill of the Hanagami house and vines wrap around a bundle of them before a slash of power out of nowhere on my signal strikes them into oblivion. Another group tries to attack head on before I call on a torrent of water that surrounds them; as I breathe out the water freezes with them inside another power slash shatters them to pieces. The last of them come at me trying to surround me on all sides. One tries to slash at me but I move out of the way with ease again I use Solar Flare once again to take down the remaining Crab Queens. I take a few deep breaths as I catch my breath looking around at my surroundings. As I listen the only sound is the sea breeze moaning eerily but everything seems still and I sense no immediate danger in the area.

"What the hell?" I finally come back to reality looking at the group of pirates. There's no point in hiding Solar Flare nor my real identity. They all stare at me stunned except for Morgan for some strange reason.

"Hey what was with all that Snowy?" Russell asks

"The hell were those things anyway?" Nathan asks.

"I don't know but they weren't normal." Eduardo says as he heads for the wheel. Christopher comes up to me along with the others.

"What is that thing?" Thomas tries to reach out curiously but pulls back, "it's actually on fire…doesn't that hurt you Snowy?" I shake my head answering his question.

"I guess it's safe to assume there's more to those things than just a random attack right and you have something to do with it right?" Christopher asks. Again I answer nodding my head. Alan comes up with his crew now,

"Hey what's going on Morgan? What's with you're pet?"

"I don't know." Morgan looks at me kneeling down. "What is going on Snowy?" we only exchange glances before the air grows stale again,

"Captain you may want to take a look at this." Morgan gets up heading for Thomas. I myself head over and stand on the edge to get a good look as well. The ocean spreading over the entire horizon is bleak and grey and off in the distance a black shadow of an island; I can just make out a giant tree.

"Eduardo what island is that?" Morgan asks as we stare at the island,

"It's Yamato…at least it's supposed to be." I finally turn to speak,

"_It is Yamato but it has been placed under a Cursed Zone…" _everyone save for Morgan stare at me dumbfounded.

"S-Snowy…? Did you just…"

"_Speak yes…however what has just transpired on this ship is I believe it is quite clear now that I am not a wolf."_

Despite my saying this they all seem to jump back in surprise at my speaking.

"If you're not a wolf then what the Hell are you?!" Russell asks.

"_Perhaps this will help illuminate the mystery…" _ as I jump down from the ships edge fire and light surround me as I change form. Once the light clears I stand before them as my true self.

"I am Yuriterasu …the sun god and leader and head of the clans of the Celestial Plains."

"HUH!" Alan exclaims, "The mutt's actually a human." As I remove Solar Flare from behind me the flames erupt as I summon a rather large glaive to my side. The wide bade and sun like handle float just above my hand as I command Eighth Wonder to strike fear where he stands.

"I am not a common house pet human…"

"Hold on a second… God?!" I look at Christopher, "But that- how is that possible?"

"I know this is hard to believe but I do not have time to explain. I must head for that island."

"Why?" Morgan asks,

"There are things happening that threaten this world and the undisturbed peace it has enjoyed for so long…it is my duty as Okami to see to it that the threat is expunged before irreparable damage is done. There is also someone there on that island in a small village that will be able to aid me as well."

"You're not making any sense lady…" Nathan speaks,

"I do not expect for you to understand nor do I expect for u to follow me either; but I must thank you for your assistance in helping me reach my destination."

"That island is completely covered in that…cursed zone or what ever you called it…you're going there by yourself."

"yes… Russell I am." I turn to leave ready to jump of the edge.

"Hold on a second…" Morgan walks up to me and I'm finally able to look him at eye level for the first time. The Morgan I'm used to seeing is usually laid back and all smiles but now I see a rather serious and stern air about him. "You really need to get to that island?"

"…it is cursed…but not lost…"

"Will you give us answers after it's revived?" my eyes slightly widen as I understand what he's suggesting.

"a Cursed Zone is a dangerous place Morgan…many souls are lost in them and many are not able to return without a divine intervention. You not only have your life to think about but the life of your men as well…your comrades and friends and even I myself am not fully aware of what lies within that cursed zone. Once you're inside you cannot hesitate nor be led astray."

he looks back at his men as I watch him closely; after a few moments he turns back to me,

"We're going. but we want some answers after words."

"Very well." He turns to Eduardo,

"Head straight for that island."

"ay Captain."

"W-wait a minute! hey Morgan at least take us back to-"

"One more word out of you sir and I'll seal your mouth myself…" I say. Everyone takes a place or role on the ship as we head into the Cursed Zone. Morgan and I remain standing by the edge of the ship.

"So you're a god…" I don't answer as I continue to look out at the island. "how exactly are you going to make everything better?"

"…a Divine Intervention…" as the ship sails on closer to the dark covered island my muscles tense as the scent of evil becomes stronger with each passing minute.

**RXR PLEASE ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Divine intervention (part 1)**

"So what exactly is a divine intervention?" Russell asks after some time passes; the silence most likely getting to everyone. I turn to the others as we make our way through a narrow pass to the port. "You just going to stand there quietly wolf lady or are you going to say something?"

"Russell…" Christopher says as I raise a hand to the mountains enshrouded in darkness.

"Tell me have you all been to this island before?"

"A few times." Morgan answers.

"there is a village there that is nestled in the mountains; there is a rather large tree that overlooks the village."

"I think I remember seeing that tree once or twice from afar; it's pretty big. The petals from the tree usually make their way down to the other villages on the island."

"Yes… the tree's name is Konohana."

" Hang on Lady." I turn to Russell, "You're telling us that you're going to this island to see a tree?"

"Yes…"

"so you're just risking your life and ours to find this tree?! What the hell?!"

" Don't raise your voice to me in such a way…that tree is quite important." I narrow my eyes at him while keeping a level yet stern voice, "I believe I warned you about the danger of coming with me; it was you who made the decision to follow."

"No offense Miss but this is all a little farfetched…why is it that you need to go after this tree? I thought the cursed zone was the problem." Christopher asks.

"Let me finish explaining before you ask your questions I'm sure I will answer them by then." They seem to take that as it is and gather around me to listen to what I have to say. "as I said before the tree is known as Konohana; it is no ordinary tree." As I wave a hand out in front of me, in the middle of our circle an image like a drawing stands in the center, a tiny sapling still young and brimming with life. "The tree was planted in the village when it was nothing more than a small hamlet many eons ago. This tree has special properties and was planted in hopes of bringing life and prosperity to the tiny little village."

"Um…I think I heard that story before…wasn't it called the legend of Nagi or something like that?" Thomas asks,

"Yes that's right; you could say that the tree is a piece of that history."

"Hang on legend of Nagi?" I look over at Captain Alan,

"That is another story for another time; I'll focus on the tree for now. This tree has special properties not just special meaning. It holds a sacred power and an inhabitant that sustains that power."

"An inhabitant?" the twins Tom and Colin asks in unison,

"I'll explain that in a minute…after the events that played in the legend of Nagi, peace was restored to the land and the tree as it grew maintained this peace and balance by sustaining nature and it's power. This tree in a sense in endowed with divine powers and the spirits of nature work to help keep this balance. The source of the nature spirits' power comes from the Konohana blossom."

"So something's happened to the tree that's why you want to go after it."

"Precisely Nathan…the reason why there is a Cursed Zone to begin with is because darkness has somehow weakened the spirits" as I explain things the image in front of them changes from a bright and beautiful tree to a cursed, withered, plant "…and as a result the Konohana tree was also affected. But if I can get to the tree-"

"The Cursed Zone will be gone." Morgan says.

"Yes. But I'm afraid the problem itself will not." I speak truthfully as they look at the changing image in front of them becomes the fully bloomed Konohana blossom. "the tree itself is much bigger than it first appears. It's roots spread far and wide under the surface and protect the many regions in this world. As a result many Guardian saplings have grown and protect every area. This tree is merely on part of a larger whole. However when one part is threatened the whole is threatened. There is a chance that this is only the beginning of something bigger."

"You said there was an inhabitant in the tree, what kind exactly?" Christopher asks,

"A wood sprite by the name of Sakuya."

"A wood sprite?" they say in unison,

"Yes her physical form is the tree itself however the Konohana tree has a will of its own; this will is known as Sakuya…"

"So the tree's actually…alive."

"Yes and with this cursed Zone affecting her it's only a matter of time before she withers and dies completely."

"Why is it that you're wanting to get to her so badly?"

"…" **I know I said I would explain but I'm not sure what exactly is happening…** "To find answers." I finally answer. As the shadow of the island begins to loom over us the air becomes increasingly stagnant as the stench of death fills my nostrils.

"What is that smell?"

"Smells like Alan when he hasn't bathed in over a week."

"Hey I do not stink Morgan; and I take regular baths!"

"Yeah Master Alan is the cleanest person I know!"

"And you would know this how you overgrown gorilla?"

"Don't call me a gorilla you skinny little ape!"

"Quiet." I snap at them, "we don't know what's here especially this closed to the cursed zone." As if to prove my point a low moan echoes over the land.

"W-what was the miss Yuriterasu?"

"The tormented souls of those trapped in the cursed zone… when a cursed zone descends upon a land, when the dark energies are at their peak before leveling out, those who are caught within are turned to statues…"

"Statues…?" I turn to Eduardo who's been listening the entire time while steering the ship,

"Yes…but their souls are left to wander lost and in despair…"

"But they're frozen stiff how is that…?"

"Their bodies are frozen but their souls are allowed to wander." Another moan echoes through the air. I close my eyes listening to their cries; my heart silently aching at their cries. At the moment I'm unable to do anything for them until I revive Sakuya which only seems to frustrate me even more. A pulse of energy passes over my body causing me to look up. just as I do a large shadow swirls in the sky above us before splitting off into many parts. They pass too quickly for me to see what exactly it is. before one of them is able to escape I manage to strike quickly burning one of them with Solar Flare.

"…well at least that's one headache out of the way…" fire flares around my hand as I ball it into a fist.

"What the hell was that?"

"most likely the cause of the disturbance I sense and the reason for this cursed zone…" I answer Nathan.

"what disturbance?" my eyes widen slightly as I recall that I left that topic hidden since I wasn't to sure about what it was myself. I curse under my breath indicating as such to the others before turning to them.

"a few weeks ago I sense a shift in the balance of the Lower Plains…that is your world…this disturbance was subtle, no one besides me in the Celestial Plains was able to sense it, it seems…"

"so you just up and left? I thought you said you were the leader of all the houses or something." Morgan says,

"Yeah you mangy mutt why are you here if that's the case?!" without moving I look over at the four who don't belong on this ship and focus my gaze on the pink one,

"Fuzzy was it?"

"Yeah that's right."

"I suggest you put a muzzle on that captain of yours…before I rip his tongue out." At my comment Alan hides himself behind the mast of the ship peeking out ever so slightly as I continue, "Yes you're correct and under normal circumstances I wouldn't have left the Celestial Plains however the evil that I sense in the disturbance gave me more than enough reason to come. it's my job as Okami to maintain the peace and balance of our worlds."

"We've got a problem." Eduardo says as the ship starts to slow before coming to a stop. We look ahead.

"Damn it…" I say as I take in the wall of the Cursed Zone a few hundred yards ahead of us.

"What do you want to do Captain?" Eduardo asks. Morgan comes as stands next to me,

"if you wish to turn back now is the time…"

"You plan on going in there right…with or without us?"

"That is the plan."

"And you don't know what in here either."

"No I do not."

"You know that tree is very far away from were we'll be landing."

"I don't care I must reach it."

"if we enter will all of us become statues too?"

"No…but you will be at risk of losing your sanity, doomed to wander in the Cursed Zone until it is lifted." He asks no other questions, "turn back if you feel the risk is too great…I can continue on alone."

"You're not getting rid of us that easily miss White." he chuckles slightly making me raise an eyebrow slightly at his lightheartedness.

"it's…Yuriterasu…"

"Too long; how 'bout just Yuri for short."

"sigh…very well."

"But as you promised…you'll give us answers right?"

"Morgan there's something you need to understand about a god…when they give their word they do not go back on it." I get close to is face our noses nearly touching and his eyes go big, "However you may come to find that you all learn more than you want to…fate shall entwine you in its threads of destiny both you and your crew are you sure that's what you want…?" I try to stress the severity of the situation; it's silent for a few moments before he says,

"You have beautiful eyes." I'm slightly stunned and back away with a smirk, turning around and brushing my tail under his nose,

"Sorry but I don't sleep with womanizers." With that I lightly whack him with my tail before addressing the others, "I won't blame you or call you cowardly for not wanting to come along so if you wish to stay behind please say so now…for once we enter we won't be able to leave…" they all contemplate for a moment before the youngest of them speaks,

"what ever Captain decides I'm following him!" Thomas says with a fierce look od determination in his eyes; the others seem to want to say the same thing with the same look in their eyes.

**He must be quite the leader for them to all follow him so passionately…it certainly says something about his character in that sense…**

I look back at their captain,

"Well Pirate King…"

"We're going." I nod before turning to Alan and his followers.

"And you?"

"I won't be out done by Morgan!"

"this trip isn't for the faint of heart Alan." I warn him.

"I-I know that! But if the world is in danger I can't stand by and let it be destroyed as the great Captain Alan I will lend you my help."

"Funny and here I thought you were a little mouse quaking with fear…" I smirk,

"Hey…"

"Alright. Eduardo take us in." Morgan says,

"Ay, captain." Slowly the ship starts to move again. it's as if time slows around us as we head inside the Cursed Zone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Divine intervention (Part 2)**

The black mist of the Cursed Zone envelopes the ship slowly as we pass through to the other side. The instant I we pass through Morgan coughs as the heavy air begins to swirl around us. I use a sleeve to calmly over my nose and mouth; even I have to admit I have never smelled something so foul and stale as the depressing air of a cursed zone. It feels as though the air in my lungs is squeezing the very life out of me slowly and painfully.

"What is this?" he heaves beside me as he tries to get used to the air around us.

"the atmosphere is filled with death." I hold a hand out in front of me and a small fire drifts from it and around the ship. As the light drifts down blue lights try to come aboard but bounce off and away. moans and cries echo around us as the blue lights hover around the ship.

"Miss Yuri what are those things?" Thomas asks,

"Look closely…" I say saddened by the sight. the blue lights begin to take shape as former denizens of this island screaming and shouting with helpless looks on their faces. I feel my ears slightly wilt as I watch them reach out to me begging for help.

"Are they-"

"The souls of those wandering in this cursed zone yes…"

"Why are the coming around the ship like this?"

"Because Russell…they wish to be saved." Is all I say as I look away from them.

"Can't you do something about it wolf lady?" Alan asks

"The only thing that can save them is if we revive the Konohana tree." A few moments later the dock comes into view; seeing the dark and dank looking place along with the frozen statues the souls all run drifting off into the dark and sinister nothing. Eduardo stops the ship and I'm the first off the ship jumping onto land. statues stand all around some frozen in fear before the Cursed Zone took them. I harden my nerves at the sight ad look towards the mountain to my destination. Closing my eyes I kneel to the ground and touch the surface. There is a faint warmth that is barely detectible but I can make it out in my fingertips. Saykuya's life force is faint but she still remains alive.

**She is quite strong to last through such an ordeal for this long…she must be barrowing what little reserves she can from the other parts of herself that she can…**

Something moves in the distance as a shadow moves over the buildings. I stand and summon Eighth Wonder floating over my back as I ready to command it.

"what is it?" Christopher asks me noticing my movements.

"Someone knows we are here…keep on your guard." As if to prove my point a screech rings off in the distance.

"What the hell was that?"

"As I said we are not alone." I can already feel something or someone watching us with a malicious eye. I turn to the navigator, "how do we get to Kamiki village from here?"

"a path in the woods; head straight back through this port to get to the forest." I turn on my heels and head in the direction he indicated.

"Er… maybe I'll stay and watch the ship." Alan says in a weak voice.

"Do as you like…but don't say anything when a demon claims your life." I say in a slightly amused manner but remain serious to my words.

"D-demons…?"

"Yes…" he swallows hard, "did you think they were mere stories that your mother told you?" Alan doesn't answer, "if you want to stay with the ship then by all means stay here to your hearts content…but you have a better chance of surviving with the whole group than on your own…" as I turn around I feel something cling to me

"You're supposed to keep that from happening! ….right?" Alan asks,

"…not if you cling to me like that…" I force him off by his face and he lets go. " so long as you don't waiver you should be fine…"

"What kind of demons exactly are we talking here?" Nathan asks,

"the small fries usually tend to like cursed zones but there may be a big one or two that are lurking around; just keep your guard up and it shouldn't really surprise you."

"So what would you call those crab things back there?"

"Small fries mostly."

"And that one miss Yuri?!" Thomas points to a shadow off in the distance in front of us. from where I'm standing it looks feline in structure. It lets off an ear splitting scream before charging at us. as it comes closer more details come into view. I've heard of the creature called a chimera before that would be the closes thing to compare it to. on the sides of it's mouth are thick tusks with spines that trail down it's entire length. Fur doesn't cover it's entire body as patches of scales and leathery skin cover other places. it's body is massive too massive for a wild cat more like a giant boar in size and instead of one tail it has three different kinds, one that resembles a snake, a wild cats and a rodents.

"Well it's not a small fry…" I smirk before charging for the Chimera. My path is on a straight collision course with the beast as it grows larger at least twice in size than what it was from a distance. It picks up in speed hoping to land a direct his; but just as it does so I summon my third divine instrument: Exorcism Beads and slash the ground in front of it blinding the beast. As the beads wrap around my arm I jump into the air into the puff of cloud dust and find the beast still charging. Commanding Eighth Wonder I bring the glaive down nicking one of the tusks. The impact is enough to sent the Chimera flipping and toppling over a long distance. The others come running over after watching the spectacle.

"You have three weapons?!"

"A problem with that Russell?"

"…No."

"Didn't think so…now look sharp that thing isn't dead yet." I say as I narrow my eyes at the Demon as it picks itself up. it lets of another screech as it readies to charge again. as soon as it charges I realize that it has a one track mind as it seems to head straight for us. I kneel down and touch the ground readying another attack.

"Hey what are you doing?! That thing is heading straight for us!"

"Shut up Alan…!" Morgan says as a small green glow emanates from my hand on the ground. when I think it's gotten close enough I command the vine that materialized under the ground to break free to the surface smacking the Chimera across the face sending it sprawling on the ground again.

"Not a very smart demon is it?" Christopher says noticing the obvious,

"The small ones hardly ever are…" my ears twitch as I pick up on the sound of something else, "…oh dear…seems like we stepped right into a trap."

"What are you talking about?" the cries of crab queens echo above us.

"I mean this group in particular doesn't fit into the typical stereotype of the small fries." A dozen or so Crab Queens stare down at us from the buildings swaying back and forth sizing us up.

"Miss Yuri that Chimera thing is getting back up again!"

**Annoying little pests…I don't have time for this…** **there's quite a few of the little devils too and that cat thing is not making this any easier either…I'm going to have to make a choice here…I can't take care of these things all at once.** I look at the group of humans watching the Crab Monsters all of them seem to be ready to attack.** Can I leave them alone and take care of the Chimera? They may be pirates but I've never actually seen them fight…really fight. **

"Alright men you take care of those crab things; Yuri and I will take care of the cat monster."

"Ay!" without a second thought they start to attack.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I ask raising an eyebrow at Morgan.

"You should have a little more faith in the humans you're trying to protect; we're not as helpless as you make us out to be." He smirks, "Look." I watch as the five men work together to take down the Crab queens one by one. Eduardo and Nathan work together as the match each others attacks with both far and close range attacks using the gun and sickle and chain. One in particular tries to pounce on them when Nathan wraps the chain around it's legs and pulls it down before Eduardo shoots at it a few times causing the Crab queen to disappear in a puff of smoke. The other three Christopher, Thomas and Russell do the same making good use of each of their abilities from close to mid and far range attacks. Christopher seems to be using himself as a decoy to distract them but landing a few good hits himself while Thomas and Russell work together to cut them down. even Alan and the others are helping out with the stragglers to put and end to them. "They can take care of themselves; even Alan has his moments."

"I see…"

"Now lets take care of this thing." We turn to Chimera and ready ourselves; it charges. I thrust a hand out and cause a few trees to sprout spontaneously in it's path but it seems to know how to dodge them as it moves out of the way in time. Morgan unsheaths his sword before we both start running towards the beast. I jump into the air and use my glaive to cut into its side only nicking it though. Morgan seems to have the same luck as I do. The Chimera turns and tries to snap it's jaws at me but I move left and right to try and move out of the way. I switch out Eighth wonder for Solar Flare and block it's tusks from penetrating my flesh. Gripping the rosary around my wrist I swing down whipping the Chimera back; again I swipe the rosary again and again causing the thing to back away. Morgan sees an opening and tries to slice at the Chimera again. this time he manages to hit the Chimera in the eye. But he only seems to anger it as it opens it's mouth and some sort of liquid spews out of its mouth. I wrap the rosary around Morgan and pull him back out of the way of the oncoming attack as it lands on the ground eating away at the earth. As soon as I make sure he's fine the creature tries to attack me again and I move out of the way.

"Yuri!"

"It's me it wants; stay down!" I say but he refuses to listen and jumps on the Chimera's back and plunges his sword into its side. The attack sends the monster into a fury as it tries to fling him off.

"Morgan!" the Chimera rears back onto it's hind legs and is about to topple back; reaching out mist surrounds them slowing everything in it's path. I only have a few moments to catch Morgan and get him out of danger before the time flow returns to normal and the Chimera comes crashing down on it's back.

"Captain!" the others try to come and help but the Chimera is already back on it's feet and spews more acid nearly hitting the others. "Here!" I shout as lily pads magically form on the surface of the now deep lake of acid that has formed under their feet. They jump to the pads now keeping them safe. The Chimera howls as it finishes its work and it turns back to me. Morgan hesitates trying to choose to either help them and stay to help me.

"Go and help your men." I say calmly as I stare at the monster,

"You sure?"

"You want to help them right? Not to mention I'm it's target not you. Go."

"Make sure you get my sword back." He says with a slight smile on his face. The Chimera howls again,

"I've had just about enough of this." I say as the flames around Solar flare grow in size, "Time to end this annoyance." The Chimera charges again leaving me little room to dodge but instead I brace myself against the force and take hold of its tusks. It pushes me back a few feet but eventually stops as I make it harder for it to do so. It opens it's mouth again but my knee knocks into it's lower jaw and it backs away choking on the acid that was meant for me. as I spin solar flare follows my movements sending the thing back a few yards. However I don't let up with a wave of my other hand a torrent of wind sends the Chimera spinning high in the air. When it reaches its peak before descending I jump into the air Solar Flare roaring with flames. As I meet it face to face the Chimera tries to bite only to meet my Reflector that severs it in half. When I land back on the ground all that's left of the beast is floating petals. On the ground is Morgan's sword; I reach down to pick it up,

"Guess you didn't really need my help after all." He says scratching his head looking what's left or lack there of.

"It wasn't too tough although you would have had more fun helping the others with the crab queens…" I say handing him back his sword.

"heh and here I thought I could impress you with my skills."

"It takes more than skills to impress a god Morgan…" I say, "speaking of which your men are quite strong and they know how to work together quite well despite their differences." Christopher goes around making sure that everyone is fine as we watch them from a distance.

"Like I said humans aren't as helpless as you think they are."

"No…they're just a bit reckless is all." I say chuckling slightly,

"Reckless? What do you mean by that?"

"For the great Pirate king you certainly know how to get yourself into trouble is all."

"Oh that…well it's force of habit; when I see a damsel in distress I have to help."

"I was fine…" I say smiling before turning back to the ship. "they may try to attack again."

"well if that happens we can take care of them."

"No that's not what I'm worried about…"

"The ship?" he notices my gaze on the Sirius."

"that acid has me worried and for them to attack in such a short amount of time…they may have wanted to cut us off from the ship. They may have been trying to draw us away from it."

"What would they want with a ship?"

"what else can a ship be used for but to travel. The Ark of Yamato was used in such a way for evil purposes a long time ago."

"Ark of Yamato?"

"That's a story for another time anyway I digress. The point I'm trying to get at is that we may not be able to leave the Sirius unattended." I say turning back to the captain.

"If that's the case then Alan of the Rika shall protect it." he says striking a pose.

"Er Alan you realize more monster might show up."

"I know but if the Sirius needs to be protected what better way then to have the Rika pirates protect it." **I'm not to familiar on human humor but if he's trying to be funny that didn't make me laugh…**

"well I guess beggars can't be choosers in this kind of situation…Alright then…Alan you and your men stay with the ship." Morgan says, before turning to me, "What are you doing?" he asks as I try to sense Sakuya's life force.

"we've wasted enough time here. We need to get to Kamiki village now." With that I walk off heading for the path leaving the others behind,

"What's going on Miss Yuri?"

"Sakuya's life force is diminishing faster than I thought; if we don't reach her in time there will be no way to remove the cursed zone." with that there are no more questions and we head for Kamiki village.

**Hopefully the next part will be the last part of the chapter and we can move on. RXR please.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Divine Intervention (Part 3); Morgan's Newfound Power **

"Hah!" Solar Flare burns away the thousandth puny demon that has tried to stop us in our path and by now I'm starting to become quite irritated. "Will they ever end?" it was a rhetorical question to be quite honest I already knew the answer to that but I still couldn't help but let it slip through my lips.

"For a God you sure have a short fuse." Morgan says smiling,

"Well I'm glad your having fun…" I say turning to climb once again

"You know you should lighten up a bit."

"I don't have that luxury." I reply flatly,

"Really do you have any luxuries; I mean you act as if your royalty so I would assume you did." A deep sigh escapes me,

**perhaps I was wrong in thinking this human could take things seriously…what does he find so fun about this whole ordeal we are currently in?**

"Physical luxuries yes but not the kinds that you may have when it comes to duties I'm afraid."

"I didn't think you're job was so high strung; hahah I'm surprised you look so young with that kind of a job."

"We gods don't age the same as you do…now hurry up we need to get there quickly." I try to pick up my pace but Morgan suddenly grabs my tail and causes me to stumble back falling into his arms. "What on earth do you think you're doing; how dare you!"

"Wow it's really bushy."

"You Impudent- who do you think you are?!" I swipe a hand at him hoping to scratch him with my claws. However he grabs it by the wrist with ease shocking me slightly. Captain smiles at me laughing slightly, "You fool I have no time for games!"

"c'mon Yuri lighten up part of the fun of a journey is enjoying the trip." A scowl on my face lets it be known that I don't find it fun,

"Not if the journey holds the balance of life and death." I say pushing myself away and begin climbing once again.

"Wow you really do take your job seriously…"

"Captain should you really try to make her angry?"

"I'm not trying to make her angry Thomas."

"Hmpf…that argument can easily be invalidated…" I say keeping my back turned to him, "You don't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation despite your own responsibilities that come with your standing."

"Hey hold on a moment Yuri." I turn my attention Nathan, "Captain isn't all fun in games; we all wouldn't be here helping you right now if it wasn't for him leading us."

"That's right! Captain Morgan is a great leader!" Russell shouts at me. a few tense moments pass before I let out a sigh.

**Perhaps I have let my anger get the better of me…but they don't seem to fully understand the severity of the situation…**

"I meant no insult to your captain…I apologize if I made it seem that way."I turn my gaze on him, "I'm sure you are a great captain."

"Yuri what exactly is it that you do as a god or…Okami I think is what you said." Christopher asks.

"Yeah and how do you actually plan on bringing the tree back to life too; you called it Divine something or other."

"Divine intervention Russell…" I correct "I guess the best way to put it is to say that it's a way of revival. It's a way to restore life and balance to a dark land such as this…although you might understand it better by demonstration. My job as Okami however is much more…than that. As Okami I am the head of my clan but also the leader of all the other clans as well. There are thirteen houses of the gods each with their own power and technique and each governs and preserves a part of the Celestial plains. I however oversee all of the land."

"How does that play into you coming down here?"

"along with the Celestial plains I am tasked with watching over and preserving the balance of the lower plains as well. When evil threatens the Lower plains it is the duty of the Okami to seek out and destroy that evil."

"Why just you? Why not send the others in too." Nathan asks,

"Because aside from a certain race only the Okami has the ability to travel between the two worlds…" I turn to them, "if one of the other gods were to leave the Celestial plains they would not be able to return; if that were to happen the Lower plains and the Celestial plains would both suffer from the imbalance. As such I'm the only one then that can stop what ever is happening."

"So then why come to the lower plains then if that's the case…you do the gods gain by sending their leader to do all the dirty work?" Eduardo asks. His question stops me in my tracks.

"There is a connection between our worlds if one goes the other is threatened; however it is the role of the gods to watch over and protect the Lower plains….but…" I can feel my lips curl into a smile, "It has always been the…personal duty of the Okami to protect the Lower Plains…The sun god is known as Mother or Father…depending on the gender at the time…it's never been clearly established if the Okami is the creator of the lower plains but we have always had this notion to carry out protecting the humans and the lower plains from destruction. Everyone and everything whether they are human animal or plant should be given the chance to live their life."

"I see…what about you?" I look at Morgan raising an inquisitive eyebrow, "Do you have your own reason for helping us?"

"Humans are interesting…but I'm not sure at the moment if I have my own personal reason for helping aside from the ones I've given."

"Hmpf…some god." Eduardo says narrowing his eye at me

"I would rather be truthful in my opinion and give you an answer you would like to hear; our worlds have not had contact with each other for countless lifetimes. No one remembers the gods nor do they realize that they are not alone in this world. I have only learned what humans and their lives are like in a matter of weeks and have barely scratched the surface and have yet to learn even a mere faction of what makes a human…a human…I need more time in order to understand what it is that my ancestors saw that I have yet to see."

" at least you're an honest woman; that's something that can be respected." Morgan says smiling, "But you're right if you haven't had enough time to understand the life of a person you can't really say you know much about them."

"You seem to be a bit too light hearted from what I can see…are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"That's just Morgan in essence Yuri; you tend to get used to it." Christopher says laughing slightly.

"But I don't envy your job Yuri." Morgan says as he scratches his head, "I think I'll stick with being the pirate king for the now."

"Hmpf…" I smirk before continuing on with my climb.

…

the cursed zone seems to become more concentrated as we head further and further in. the air becomes more thick; the land weakened more and more and life and color have all but vanished from the land. statues of animals are strewn everywhere and the souls of those lost in the cursed zone are growing in numbers. However there is one thing I am certain with all the negativity in the air; we are finally getting closer to the Konohana blossom and more importantly Sakuya. However it's become more of a burden on the humans following me; the stagnant air is beginning to take its toll on the everyone except for Morgan. For some strange reason I'm not sure why but he seems to be just fine. if anything he's more concerned for his men than himself. If he's hiding the fact that he's being affected by the cursed zone he's doing a good job of it.

"Thomas…!" I turn to see Thomas on the ground with Christopher checking to make sure he's alright.

"I'm fine…sorry about that." Thomas says weakly,

the others gather around slightly trying to make sure their youngest member is fine,

"Hey is he ok?" Nathan asks

"As far as I can tell…there's nothing physically wrong with him." Christopher heaves. Each one of them lacks the veracity they once had at the beginning of this journey. I push past the group and kneel down in front of Thomas; he breathes heavily as if stricken by a sickness and his eyes lack the spark of life they once had closely resembling dark pits. Looking around all except for Morgan have the same look about them; some are affected by the cursed zone more than others but slowly and surely they are all being affected by the dark effects.

"You should stay here Thomas." I say finally,

"What?! N-no I can go on honest!"

"It's not a physical ailment that has stricken you; it's the affects of the cursed zone and it's not just you alone. You all are starting to weaken against the effects."

"What exactly is happening?" Morgan asks behind me,

"The farther into the cursed zone we travel the stronger and more veracious they become; feeding off of the physical and spiritual energy of those daring enough to travel into it's maw. All your men are starting to feel it's effects; you need to take them back to the Sirius before they completely lose sight of themselves in here."

"We don't quit a job half way through lady." Russell says hunched over supporting himself on his knees.

"The longer you stay here the more likely it is that you will become nothing more than a wandering husk of your former self."

"Hold on what happened to being statues?" Nathan asks,

"if you were taken at the peak of the cursed zones power that would be the case but a cursed zone that has been sustained such as this one sustains itself by feeding off of the negative energy of those trapped within. It creates sorrow and despair for those trapped and preserved as statues; however it's a different story for those who are left to wander around… it would be best that you all turn back before you are lost in this cursed zone forever."

"So basically we're dying?" Morgan asks and I look him in the eyes sending a silent message,

"…Yes…I must apologize…I made a miscalculation in assuming this cursed zone was stable enough for such things. You all need to get as far away from the core of this cursed zone as possible."

"Hang on but you're going to keep going?"

"I have to whether I want to or not; I have to do what I must to protect the Lower Plains."

"All by yourself?"

"Yes."

"But Miss Yuri-"

"I will be fine; it's not that easy to kill a god. Besides I would rather be the one in danger than putting you all on the line for something like this." I turn to head deeper into the cursed zone when Morgan with the same uncharacteristically serious face as before stands in front of me. "You need to lead your men back down to where Alan and the others are; you'll all be safer there."

"No."

"think about you're men; their lives are-"

"I mean no you're not going by yourself."

"What do you-"

"from what you've made it sound like even you're not sure about this place; that means you don't know what's up ahead. If that's the case you're situation is just as bad as ours."

"You make a valid point however your men cannot travel in their current condition; if they go any further there is a chance that they will die themselves before they even reach the top of this climb."

"Which is why I'm ordering them to stay put while we go on." his statement causes my ears to twitch slightly as I stare at him wide eyed,

"What?!" Russell shouts, "Wait a second captain you can't go-"

"She's right; you all are in no shape to keep going and if it's the cursed zone that's causing it then the only thing that's going to cure you is if we get rid of it."

"we aren't going to let you go by yourself." Nathan says,

"Sorry but this is an order; I'm the one who brought you all into this so now I need to take responsibility on this and get you out of it. so stay put and rest for now."

**I was sorely mistaken about this man…he has the makings of being a great ruler…not just a captain. If he set his mind to it; Morgan could even be compared to that of the heads of the thirteen houses…there is no changing his mind now that he's made this decision.**

"But-"

"Ultimately, this is my fault that you're all in this situation… therefore as Okami I will take full responsibility and bring Morgan back safely to you." There's a long pause as I look each and every one of them in the eyes.

"You gotta swear that what ever happens you're not going to let him die." Russell adds.

"I promise."

We leave the five of them without exchanging any more words; only Morgan and I are together for the final leg of this trip.

"Alright time for some answers Yuri." He finally breaks the silence between us causing me to turn my gaze to him. "Why is it that I'm not affected by the cursed zone? Why is it that I'm fine but my men are dying?"

" so you noticed…"

I was hard not to."

"I'm not quite sure…there is an explanation I'm sure but as to what it is I'm not certain."

"if we don't get to the konohana blossom in time…if we can't lift the curse on this place what will happen to them and to the people of this island?"

"I fear that is a question that you will not like the answer to…" he stops me in my tracks by standing in my way. Although there is a look of seriousness on his face there is also a look of pain and concern.

"I don't know if you have friends where you come from nor even understand the concept of friendship and trust; those men are my friends my comrades. We've been sailing on the same ship for a very long time. The people of this island are innocent people who don't even know what has happened to them. now this is already out of hand enough as it is; but what I need to know what is the worst case scenario? What is their fate if we can't revive that tree in time?!" his desperation leaves no room for me to argue with him and I look away,

"…if we do not reach Sakuya in time…your men's souls will be taken by the cursed zone; they will be nothing more than shells and tools for the demons to use. Some may be used as puppets others as a guise in order to travel unnoticed in the world…as for this island, the people will be doomed to remain as statues for eternity sustaining this cursed zone until the end of time…"

"So basically everyone dies at the hands of this unknown evil?" I find it hard to answer him and I close my eyes only nodding to answer. "Did you know this would happen?"

"I knew there would be risks but nothing like this…" I lock eyes with him, "However that does not excuse the fact that I may have just cost you your friends; I do know what it's like to have friends as close as the ones that you have… nothing can replace a friendship such as that. I will do what I can to help get them back if we are too late and if they are taken by darkness…I will make it so their souls are able to rest in peace."

"Are speaking as a god right now or do you really mean that?" he asks sternly,

"I may be a god but even a god understands when they have done something wrong no matter how rare the incident may be. Aside from that I have been on your ship and have seen how your men act, they are good and their souls pure. There is no reason why they should die in such a way." He stares at me for a few more moments before the desperation on his face suddenly disappears and he looks at me with a small smirk. "You find that humorous?"

"No…just got the push I needed is all."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"humans may seem weak to you in a lot of ways Yuri but one thing you can be sure of when you give them a reason to fight, they put up one hell of a fight. Hahahahahah now I'm ALL fired up to help you out with this cursed zone!" still laughing he turns to continue on his way leaving me rather perplexed,

"humans are quite strange…and interesting creatures." I can't help but smile at his seemingly contagious newfound determination.

…

we have finally reached the village the core of the cursed zone and the root of the evil that has befallen this island. It's evident that something else is here as well. The statues remain frozen in fear as if flinching at something. death reeks all around us as everything seems to be nothing more than a horrid shadow of it's former glory.

"Where is the tree?" I ask looking around,

"On that hill; at least it used to be." Nothing can be seen from the hill Morgan points to making my eyes widen,

"No…" Morgan follows after me as I race for the ill; at the top of the hill. There we find a small tiny little sapling; a sickly yellow and brown color. Every so often it twitches as if trying to hold on for dear life.

"Is that it?" he asks,

"What is left yes…" I kneel down and wrap my hands around it gently closing my eyes. Fortunately I can just make out a small tiny pulse of Sakuya's life force. "She is alive…but just barely; Sakuya is hanging on as best she can…drawing on what reserves she can from her extended counterparts."

"So we made it in time?"

"Yes but the source of the evil sapping her life force is hiding somewhere else sapping what energy she has left."

"So then how do we get rid of it?" The moans suddenly turn into laughter and I can feel something watching us. as I stand I summon Solar Flare.

"Morgan be on you guard."

"Yeah I can feel it too." He says slowly unsheathing his sword, "if we get rid of this thing watching us; we can free the tree?"

"this is not a small fry like that chimera; it is whatever controlled it."

"So is it the source?"

"Most likely…" as if to strike fear into our hearts a womans cackle rings softly through the air.

"_My, My if t isn't the great Mother to us all…the great Okami…tee hee…I'm impressed though that you have come here with only a human as protection."_

"Do not insult our strength demon…there is more than meets the eye."

"_hmm yes I'm sure…more of a disappointment."_

"Yuri…where is she?" Morgan whispers to me,

"I'm not sure; she's hiding herself well."

"_I'm sure you've come here to remove my lovely cursed zone from existence but I can't allow for you to do that." _

"Then I'm sure you must know that I cannot allow that to happen." I say coolly.

"_Well I'm sorry to hear that but now we have a bit of a contradiction going on now don't we? You see I've been ordered to destroy this…accursed tree…you see with it gone the other guardian saplings shall die too and then darkness will be able to rule this world."_

"Who ordered you?" Morgan asks. The demon laughs,

"_It doesn't matter as to who because here in a few moments…."_ Black thorny vines crawl on the ground converging on a single point in front of us; they merge together until finally a woman with black skin and thorns trailing up and down the sides of her legs and arms. Her eyes are red and vines sprout from the sides of her head like horns curving forward. Her hair and the leaf like covering over her breasts and lower region a deep brown that they nearly seem to be almost black as well. "you'll be dead soon so it doesn't matter."

"Fumō…" her name leaves my lips, (Means barren in Japanese)

"Who?"

"She is the demon of poison to the land; like your brother…Blight." She points a finger at me

"Your mother killed my brother I'm just returning the favor."

"Blight?"

"Her brother was a spirit of sickness to humans if not for my mother the capitol of Nippon a long time ago would have met it's early demise; her brother Blight caused a sickness than ravaged the land and used the emperor as the catalyst for his plot."

"I'm just returning the favor…" Fumō says, "Amaterasu may be gone but you live on in her place. My master gets the tree but I get you. You know the saying 'Great Mother' an eye for an eye…a life for a LIFE." she thrusts out her hands causing a black mist to head out way; with a wave of my hand a gust of wind takes the mist in another direction. "With you gone there will be no hope left for this world and then my lord shall rule ALL!" the ground shakes as large black vines come towards us as the roll through and out of the ground. Morgan and I separate as the vines try to take us out. Solar flare bursts with multicolored flames as it slashes straight through the vine claiming me as it's target. Fumō then meets me in mid air taking a clawed hand and aiming for me. as I grab her wrist we both land on the still writhing part of the vine and begin a deadly dance. Out of the corner of my eye I can just make out Morgan keeping his own with the other vine. As I summon my rosary and wrap the chain around her; she smirks before her body separates into many tiny snaking vines that slither on the ground making their way over to me. jumping off the tree like vine I land on the ground and Fumō's many parts follow after. Using another gust of wind I send the parts flying all over the place.

"Yuri!" Morgan hangs off the side of the giant vine reaching out to me; I grab hold and together we make our way back up to the top. a torrent of black vines bursts from the ground followed by a wave of black mist. The vines support Fumō as she aims the mist at us sending the wave of blackness towards us.

"Get behind me!" I say standing in front of him creating a shield of fiery light around us.

"Is it just me or is it getting hot!?"

"What did you expect? I'm the sun god." The mist comes straight for us but never touches as the bright light burns it away; finally the list stops and we meet Fumō face to face. She stares at us with cold eyes,

"You're more of a bother than I would have liked Okami; but I guess that this will make your demise all the more sweeter. I will claim your life in the name of my brother!" more vines burst forth from the ground aims straight for us. pushing Morgan out of the way only gives me enough time to jump out of the way of one of the vines but the others move too quickly for me to dodge and wrap around me.

"Yuri!"

"S-Stay back!" the vines pull me close to the demon as she stares at me. yet she doesn't realize that she's done something wrong by doing so.

**So that's it…quite clever actually now I just need to get down from here! **

"Haha finally I'll be able to avenge my brother's death!" the vines constrict even tighter around me making it harder for me to breathe. "Now die in the name of Blight!" black mist shoots from her hand and right into my face; the poison seems to burn every part of my lungs as I try to fight at keeping it out of my system. My vision starts to blur but I fight against it. I'm able to free one of my arms and try to strike her with Solar Flare but she catches my arm and takes hold of my face with her other hand, "Die Die Die already! Give me your life force oh great goddess!" she opens her mouth and I feel something being pulled from my body. my strength seems to be fading as she tries to absorb my energy as fast as possible.

"Enough!" light shines from below before it breaks apart the vines holding me and even blasts Fumō away. snapping out of my daze I'm able to catch myself on the ground landing on my feet. I look to see the source of the light and find a soft aura emanating from Morgan his sword glowing silver. It finally dawns on my why he's immune to the effects of the cursed zone and I know I've seen it before.

"You're endowed with the powers of the people of the Moon tribe…!" I say astonished.

"W-what is this Yuri what's going on?"

"But that's impossible…no celestial has set foot in the Lower Plains for countless ages…"

"What Celestial?!" the light begins to fade.

"Morgan listen to me; calm down and take a deep breath. listen your powers are your own natural abilities; I know they are unusual right now but you must concentrate on what ever thought you had a moment ago. Think about your men how you want to save them; what ever you have to do you must keep the light shining right now. He listens to my words taking a few deep breaths. The light flickers back to life both around him and in his sword. "Listen closely that woman over there isn't the real Fumō."

"What?"

"The vines and whatnot even that thing over there is just a small part of her; the real demon lies under ground; including her weak point."

"How do you know that?"

"When she had me bound in those vines earlier; I could sense her energy deep below the earth. Contact is her weakness; that's why she was hiding herself when we first came here. She could sense us but we couldn't sense her."

"Ok so what does that mean for us?"

"I know where she is."

"Great so what's the plan?"

"I need you to keep her off me while I bring her real self out of hiding."

"Right…"

"Don't worry your powers will protect you."

"How dare you!" Fumō shills as black vines carry her toward us, "I'll make sure to kill you both!"

"I don't think so!" Morgan brings his sword down letting loose a flash of energy at her; she jumps up and doges it,

"You pest!" she shouts before shooting more vines out at us. Morgan manages to protect us, his sword cutting and burning away the attack.

"Go ahead and do what you need to find her and put an end to her. I can take care of her little puppet." With that he charges into battle with Fumō. Kneeling down a green glow comes from my hands that even causes the grass return to life. closing my eyes I start to figure out where Fumō really is. the vines I create creep down deep beneath the surface reaching for the dark mass I sensed earlier. At one point in time I sense an attack heading straight for me and open my eyes to see Morgan stepping in front of me and as the attack makes contact with his sword the silver light increases scattering the mist. Thinking I'm safe for the moment I close my eyes again and finally find her real form and wrap the vines around her.

"You really are quite big aren't you…but then again you are a monster." Making my way back to my feet I pull up on the vines. The earth suddenly convulses as the crust begins to crack as it looks to blow up like a bubble. It seems to groan at the force threatening it to break. Bracing myself I pull up even harder and finally the ground shatters in an uproar. As the earth rains down over head I hear a shrill shriek and catch a glimpse of the fake Fumō dispersing into many black vines. Morgan joins me as the vines slither back to the missive body. the body is made of nothing but vines seem to create a giant life form. The vines converge on a center and create a new extension a massive red eye appears. The new form looks to be humanoid as the red eye on the chest.

"THAT'S her real form?"

"yes."

"How the hell are we supposed to kill her?!"

"you Pirates have a saying correct me if I'm wrong: the X marks the spot."

"…Yeah?"

"In this case: the red eye marks the weak point."

"Got it." he takes a stance next to me as I summon Exorcism beads and Solar Flare.

"DIE YOU LITTLE INSECTS!" a wave of poison comes right at us before we jump simultaneously into the air. Fumō brings down a massive hand as Morgan grabs hold of one of the vines making her body and begins to climb. Another huge hand tries to swat me away but Solar flare burns brightly causing her hand to flinch away and then wrap the rosary around the arm and begin my own climb. Giant masses of vines try to stop us as Fumō tries to poison us along the way. Morgan stops the attacks in his own way slicing them down in his path while I switch between different divine instruments and we make our way to the top. With Eighth Wonder at my command I jump off of Fumō aiming directly for the big red eye. A sharp white glow enshrouds the glaive as I pour as much energy into it as possible. In my side view I can make out Morgan aiming for the same target. Our weapons pierce the eye at the same time and divine energy pours into the demon. Fumō lets off a cry of pain as her life comes to an end. As we jump off from the monster landing on the ground her body begins to float away petals and flowers. Although the Cursed Zone remains it feels slightly lighter than before.

"Well…that was one of my more unusual battles." Morgan says breathing heavily; he looks at me, "You ok?"

"Yes perfectly fine…" his eyes widen slightly before he lifts a hand to my face. It's surprisingly gentle and slightly soft considering he uses a sword on a regular basis. "what is it?"

"it looks like you got nicked on the cheek." Running a finger over the cut I can feel the dried blood over the cut. I laugh slightly,

"Your concern is touching but this will vanish over the next few days; and you?"

"Hahaha it takes more than a giant monster to bring me down." his eyes widen as if he remembers something and looks at me, "The tree!" remembering why we are here we race back to the Konohana blossom. It's in even worse condition than when we found it. "no…are we…"

I kneel down and feel for Sakuya's life energy and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Stand back Morgan…" I hear him obey as I focus my energy on connecting with the tree. As I do so I can feel Sakuya brighten slightly from within as she feels her revival is now eminent. I just barely touch my forehead to one of the leaves

"Come back now Sakuya…" I take a deep breath and breathe on the sapling; it springs to life becoming green and perky before the tree starts to grow to a massive size. A glow emanates from my body as I radiate energy. I place a hand on the large tree and pulse energy through it's veins. Konohana becomes full of life as the tree is filled to the brim with blossoms. The energy I gave it increases tenfold as the sacred tree bursts with energy causing the cursed zone to lift. The darkness is burned away as the light and life of the nature spirits and the tree return the island to it's former glory. As the last of the cursed zone is lifted the land is filled with fresh air and raining petals from the tree along with it's blue sky. I smile as the scene has now returned to normal.

"That was incredible…" Morgan sighs at the sight he just beheld. "You are incredible." I remain silent but acknowledge his compliment with a respectful nod. "So that was a divine intervention…"

"Captain!" a familiar voice calls us from below the hill as five figures climb up to meet us.

"I thought you ordered them to stay put?" I smirk at their loyalty,

"heh heh…I did."

"Captain, everyone in the village is back to normal!" Thomas say.

"What happened?" Christopher asks, Morgan looks at me and just says,

"a divine intervention." They seem to take the answer before they stare at the tree. "Say Yuri about what happened back there."

"Yes?"

"you said I was endowed with some sort of power or something…what was that." The others look over to hear the answered.

"Your lineage is a special one Morgan you have powers similar to that of the people of the moon tribe or a celestial as they are more commonly called.

"How?"

"I'm not quite sure…the only explanation for it I can think of is that a celestial traveled down here before and started you bloodline."

"But didn't you say that was impossible?"

"yes and not to mention that our worlds have not had contact with each other ever since my mother however I can think of one other during that time that could have possibly…oh my…no…could Waka have…?"

"Waka?"

"_I thank from the bottom of my heart great mother Okami!" _ a gentle voice echoes around us. "_if not for you the demon that plagued this island would have devoured my spirit and taken complete control of this land…but I knew you would come benevolent Yuriterasu…" _a pink glow sparkles above us before a young woman appears before us floating. Her flowing black hair is bulled back mostly with her pats of it flowing. Her kimono a few shades of pink and greens with a wispy purple sash stares down at us with warm soft pink eyes. Her beauty is as soft and gentle looking as the Konohana blossom and I can already tell that the person before us is the tree spirit Sakuya. "Ah…Yuriterasu Origin of all that is good and mother to us all…it is a great honor to finally see you in all of your glory."

**Oh god this chapter took me forever…RXR please**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sakuya's Advisement and the Poncle Izzun**

Sakuya smiles happily her cheeks a soft shade of cherry bossom pink as she bows deeply,

"Oh great and benevolent Yuriterasu it is as if I am reliving the past and seeing your mother stand before me once again."

"So this lady is Sakuya? Well she certainly is a looker!" I roll my eyes at Morgan's comment as he laughs. Sakuya looks at them as well,

"I must thank you as well; if you had not aided my lady in her quest she may not have known where to find me."

"It's funny I pictured her to be somewhat different." I raise an eyebrow at Morgan unable to understand what he means, "But an she's gorgeous! Hahaha are all tree spirits like her?"

"Captain…" looking at the others expressions they sort of saw this coming but Christopher shakes his head as he voices his thoughts. Sakuya looks slightly more pink in the face at the comment and for some strange reason I find myself rather annoyed again.

"Morgan could you try to stay focused for two minutes…" I say.

"Jealous?" he pulls on my ear playfully and I smack his hand away,

"Hardly…I do not have time for such things and I believe I said so before but I do not fraternize with womanizers…" I say bluntly before turning my attention back to Sakuya.

"Ouch…you know you could let a guy down more easily…"

"something tells me you'll bounce right back…"I fold my hands within my sleeves leaving the topic alone and look up at Sakuya, "I know you have only just been revived Sakuya but I have questions. Questions that need answers." The soft expression on her face is now stained with a look of worry. "Before entering the cursed zone and even before I descended upon the lower plains; I felt a disturbance that could even be felt all the way in the Celestial Plains; tell me is it-"

"It is as you fear Great Mother this world is once again plagued by terrible evil; one that could even rival that of the evil you mother faced before you. Before I became too weak to remain conscious for too much longer I felt a disturbance and witnessed a great evil be born into this world; shadows swirled in the skies above before splitting into many parts. One I could feel was immediately dispelled before it could fly off into the horizon. Three of them were familiar to me while the other three remained unknown."

"Who or what were they?"

"they are evils of the past: one is Orochi the terrible eight-headed serpent, another the terrible Ninetails and finally the twin demons of Wep'keer Lechku and Nechku." My eyes widen at this news,

"How is this possible? Were the not expunged from this world a long time ago?"

"Yes…they were but somehow they have been revived?"

"So someone brought them back from the dead?" Eduardo asks, Sakuya turns to him,

"I was to able to determine their origin of creation or how they were revived; my power diminished before I could do so."

"just who are these people?" Christopher asks,

"They are demons of old; they once ravaged the land under the rule of the ruler of darkness a long time ago." A solemn nostalgia laces my words, " My mother once fought against them back when the lands were one. However the eight headed demon has always been the bane of the Lower Plains existence…"

"How so?"

"Every time evil seem surge through the land he was always the start of it…it all started back when Yuriterasu's Grand father Shiranui first defeated the demon along with the chosen hero Nagi." Sakuya answers Nathan's question.

"Shiranui…Nagi- hey you're talking about that legend of Nagi right the one where they slay the eight headed serpent Orochi?" at Thomas question the air suddenly grows stale

"do not use that name so lightly…the mere mention of the demon's name can curse those of weak mind and heart." I say without turning to them before walking over to the edge of the hill. The tiny village below flows with life as if the cursed zone had never even befell it in the first place. "but yes you are right Thomas; they are from the very same legend. At one point or another my ancestors have been in battle with not only the eight headed beast but with countless others…but Orochi is a common enemy for us. My grandfather, and my mother before me both had the chance to clash against him and his evil forces…" the sleeves of my garment hides my hands as I fold them together in thought watching the village from afar. I can't help but feel irritated, "That serpent has the tenacity of a cockroach…I can understand how he was revived the first time around but how is it possible this time? Did my mother not deliver the final blow on the Ark of Yamato?" turning I look up at the floating sprite, "this does not make sense…all of them: Orochi, Ninetailes and the twin demons should be dead. Am I correct in assuming so?"

"Yes your are My Lady…however the only explanation that I can think of is that it is an evil that has not yet been encountered…"

"an unknown evil?"

"back when evil had first arose, it was because of the ruler of darkness Yami. He along with countless others who served under him used the Ark to traverse to the Lower plains long ago. By slowly working her way through the servants of Yami your mother Ameterasu was able to finally face him and when she slew Yami she also slew any chances of them being revived as well."

"So then someone else revived them?" Russell asks.

"That would appear to be the only explanation." Sakuya's expression grows worrisome "but they have changed somehow…become more powerful. I felt it as soon as they split off into the sky." Sakuya looks off into the distance beyond the ocean, "I can already sense the evil nesting into the various regions. They are already planting their various seeds of evil doings within the area. Lady Yuriterasu what will you do? This evil is nothing like what your ancestors have face it may even be more foul than Yami himself…"

thinking for a moment I only remain silent, as I stare down at the village I watch an old man hunched over and walking with a cane and long beard and his wife watch as a group of children play in the fields as the Konohana blossoms dance in a furry of petals over them. something more than just duty sparks in me and I feel compelled to do what I can to protect these humans unaware of the danger that lurks in this world.

"You already found out what you wanted right? You said you needed to get answers from Sakuya and you got them; there's nothing holding you back from going to get help from your friends." Morgan says, "We can hold the fort here until-"

"no." I turn to face them, "By the time I return to the Celestial Plains and back this world may already be well beyond help…there's no time for such a fruitless journey. besides it would be pointless to try such a thing only I can travel back and forth between the worlds. And…" I turn back to watch the scene of the elders watching the younglings, "now that I do know I can't just leave it alone; I will not leave this world to die."

"It makes me happy to hear such determinations from you Great Mother…" Sakuya smiles down at me he cheeks pink with a happy blush.

"Where must we go first?"

"I'm sorry did you just say we?" Morgan stares at me along with everyone else slightly surprised. I can't help but let the smirk on my face show,

"Yes well, I would be against it but knowing you lot you're just as bad as Orochi…the tenacity of cockroaches. No matter how much I refuse you lot plan on coming anyways do you not? Although I'm still a bit hesitant about letting you lot tag along after this ordeal."

"Hahah you're going to back out on us."

"Do not mock a god Morgan you never know what will happen." As I flick my wrist a vine twirls it's way around him constricting him from moving,

"Hey…!" the others laugh at our exchange,

"Can I ask you not to make a fool out of me in front of my men?" the mentions of the others reminds me of something else and I turn to Sakuya once again,

"By I'm surprised that they were able to last as long as they did in the cursed zone…and Morgan too…"

"Ah yes so you noticed too My Lady! As surprising as it may be they all have a sleeping power within them; although it's not as strong as Sir Morgan's they have dormant powers that protected them from the cursed zone." I raise a questioning eyebrow,

"are they all from the same lineage…?"

"No not so in fact it's their own strength that protects them my lady." Curiously I look back at the still bound Morgan before smirking back up at the tree spirit,

"him however if I assume correct, he IS in fact Waka's descendent." She looks at him momentarily before a giggle escapes her and she smiles,

"Yes My lady he is in fact his descendent; although to be quite honest I'm quite surprised…I never would have thought he was capable of something like that."

"Well after all Sakuya…a man is a man and they have certain needs."

"Alright that's the second time you've mentioned this Waka. Who the hell is he and how is he related to Captain?" Russell asks annoyed at our conversation. Still feeling mischievous I stay quiet about it only offer one response,

"I'll leave that to your imagination…" with another flick of the wrist I release Morgan and turn back to Sakuya, "Back to the topic at hand though where are we to travel first."

"The land that was once known as Ryoshima coast; the capital city is now a land that thrives on the man made and natural rivers and pathways for protections and daily use. It's denizens now thrive on the fruits of the sea and many there are content with their daily life."

"That description sounds like Coy island; apparently it's famous for it's giant coy fish. They use them for traveling around the island and towns." Eduardo says.

"That will be the closes one where you must first bring about a divine intervention. Although I am revived here my counterparts grow weak due to the evil forces."

"Very well then; Coy island it is."

"Hang on a second!" a voice high pitched calls out causing all of us to look up. a green sparkle twinkles as it descends rapidly but I manage to catch it with my hand.

"Oh I nearly forgot about him!" Sakuya exclaims at the tiny little bug like creature in my hand. The others huddle around to get a good look at it as well, "Where have you been little bug? Don't tell me you were eves dropping on our conversation?" suddenly the little thing suddenly turns pink before bouncing up and down angrily,

"How many times do I have to tell you you batty tree sprite?! I'm not a bug I'm Izzun, IZZUN! Say that one more time and I'll jump in your kimono!" without warning I flick the bug out of my hand and Izzun goes bouncing into the tree. He stays silent on the ground disoriented,

"My word…such a loud little Poncle… and rather ill behaved as well." again the speck suddenly jumps up and down with anger,

"Who are you calling loud you-" for some reason he stops talking and bouncing as he stares at me and for some reason I can't help but feel as though he's staring somewhere he shouldn't, "Holy cow you're stacked!" annoyed I raise an eyebrow,

"Stacked…? I hope you're not looking where you shouldn't little one; from the sound of your voice you're not much older than a juvenile…"

"Hey I'm free to look where I want you dog eared lady!" I let the insult slide,

"You're rather loud for being so tiny…tell me little bug do you always shout?"

"I'm not a bug You-you-!"

"Izzun please." Sakuya says.

"Poncle? What is that exactly?" Christopher asks,

"I'm a Poncle you idiot!"

"They were once well known for being Celestial Envoys for the gods, spreading stories and sharing their drawings with the world to keep the peoples belief and knowledge of the gods strong." I explain, "In one word they're like a tiny little sprite…although this is the first time I've seen one too."

"Hey- how do you know about the gods Melon babe?!" my teeth grit at his use of words,

"How dare you, you little bug; I'm a god."

"Don't call me a bug you-! wait did you just say that you were…?"

"Izzun." At Sakuya's soft call he seems to look to her, "you are standing in the presence of the great and benevolent mother to us all, Yuriterasu…it would be wise to show a bit of respect." With that Izzun bounces up and down quietly, "please forgive him My Lady he is still quite young and rather rambunctious at times as you have seen; he takes a bit after his great grandfather of many generations Issun."

"I see."

"The Poncle village used to be located in Yoshpet. However as the world changed so did other things."

"Are you saying it's no longer there?" Nathan asks,

"Yoshpet sank into the sea many years ago when the land split into the regions that now thrive today; some of the Poncles were able to escape however they had no place to call home. I guided them here and now they make their home in the many branches that make up my body." I kneel down to inspect him more thoroughly, he stops bouncing turning a slightly yellowish green color, holding my hand out to him he bounces forward resting on it. I lift him up to meet him face to face.

"you may have a rather foul mouth but you are quite innocent aren't you?"

"Er…"

"My lady if I may be so bold I think it would do this poncle some good to experience the world outside of Yamato. You see he has quite the adventurous spirit and is always causing trouble for the village below; his skills with a brush are quite breathtaking as well."

"Are they?" I smile,

"You bet they are!" Izzun Bounces off my hand "Bet a load of this!" somehow he produces a scroll with a beautiful painting depicting the daily life of Kamiki village below and Sakuya watching over it. "Not to shabby if I do say so myself heheheh."

"one should not gloat." I say while staring down at him, he seems to go quiet thinking I don't like the painting, "but your confidence is well placed. Your work is very well done." I look up at Sakuya, "However it is not really my say as to whether he can go or not."

"What?!" Izzun jumps up and down angrily a bright pink tint around him. "What do you mean God Lady! I'm perfectly capable of handling myself; don't let my small size fool you I can take on any monster or enemy with my trusty sword Tokenomaru!" he unsheathes his tiny sword swinging it around, "If you think I'm not good enough you fuzz butt I'll show you a thing or two!" again I flick him into the tree,

"You need to learn some manners little one…and stop jumping to rather superficial conclusions. I'm not the only one traveling around. You'll have to ask him." I point over to Morgan; Izzun bounces over and looks at him closely, "Well…go on…" I encourage,

"Why do I have to ask the old, beardy face if I can go or not? He's not the boss of me."

"Izzun?!" Sakuya seems rather shocked that he said such a thing, For some reason Morgan doesn't respond he just stares down at the bouncing speck,

"Hey you little brat, who do you think you are? Don't disrespect the captain like that!" Russell seems to say what everyone else wants to.

"Captain Shmaptain! He's nothing more than an old beardy face!"

"you little…!"

**Well I can see he will need to be disciplined won't he…? Hahah…he somewhat reminded me of Oki…**

"Izzun." I call and he turns back to me, "Would you like to see what it really is like…to be a bug?"

"huh?"

"with the attitude you have at the moment I really feel the need to well…squash a bug right now." He freezes in mid air as his glow turns a pale white, "now believe it or not he is the captain of the ship we will be using to travel and you're going to have to learn how to obey and work with others…I'm guessing you haven't had that chance yet. You need to ask permission to use others belongings that is why you must ask if you can come along. Besides this is no ordinary trip; if you really were eves dropping then you are fully aware of the evil that is now spreading across the world."

"I-I can handle that!"

"oh of that I have no doubt; but if you continue with this defying attitude of yours I may just have to let you see what it really feels like to be a bug…and I don't think you want that now do you?" he swallows hard,

"Y-your going to step on me?"

"Who knows…I may step on you or I may turn into a wolf…" as I speak light engulfs my body and I stare down at the cowering poncle as a wolf, "and try to eat you…but wolves are quite fickle creatures you never really know. I may just pick you up and spit you out."

"D-Dog spit ew! Ok, Ok! Sorry Mr. beardy face! May I please come on the ship I promise I'll behave myself!" Izzun says desperately and I can't help but smirk.

"that was quick." Nathan says,

"Please let me on your ship I'm sorry I won't call you old again Beardy face!"

"Er my name's Morgan bug boy. Hahaha."

"I'm not a bug! I'm Izzun IZZUN! Get it right already!"

"That attitude change didn't last long…" the others all laugh,

"My Lady." Sakuya whispers close to my ear as Izzun shouts at them and the others start to talk with him, "Please look after that little one; his skills as an artist are quite exceptional but this is only so because he has not had many friends. He has been quite lonely in the village with no one to give him company; I believe it would help him to open up and not be so…harsh towards others if he travels with you. He may also help in reviving the belief in the gods once again."

"I can tell he is not a bad kid; he merely acts out for attention. I will not coddle him but I will do what I can to look after him."

"You truly are benevolent Yuriterasu." She floats back up, "before you leave I would like to express my gratitude to you all for aiding in my revival." Petals shower down over them yet seem to sparkle as they land on the others, "the powers that were dormant within you have now awakened and should help you defend yourself better against the evil that is out there." Sakuya begins to disappear in a flurry of petals, _"May the fresh cent of flowers protect you all on your journey."_ and with that Sakuya disappears.

…

with it being too late to return to the ship to depart for the night everyone decided it was best to stay in Kamiki village for the night and head out early for Coy island. I had to disguise myself as a wolf again so others wouldn't know about me now in the room however I am human. However sleep does not come easy for me as I listen to Morgan's soft snores from the bed. Izzun for some strange reason has thought it best to stick close to me and uses me as a pillow as I sit on the floor staring out the window. the stars gleam in the night sky but I do not focus on their brilliance rather the news that found out from Sakuya. As I think I puff away on my pipe letting the smoke escape as I exhale deeply. My wolf like ears twitch as I pick up on subtle movements from the bed,

"Shouldn't you be asleep Captain Morgan?" I ask before I take another deep inhale on my pipe.

"That should be my question…how long have you been up?"

"I haven't even gone to sleep." I look at him as a trail of smoke disperses into the air. Smiling softly I turn back to look outside. "my mother used to tell me stories about the Lower plains…but experiencing it for myself is something else entirely. It may not be as extravagant as the Celestial plains but it has its own charm." I hear nothing but him moving closer before he sits down across from me holding a jug of sake and two cups. "Do you always make a habit of carrying booze around with you?"

"Hey to be fair I found this in the cupboard. Besides there's always a good reason to drink when there's a pretty lady around."

"I already told you I don't associate with womanizers…" I smirk taking a cup. He fills it with sake before filling his own "thank you." I take a sip before screwing my face up, "they call this sake? How unappetizing…"

"you sure seem to know your alcohol."

"only when it comes to sake; I take it very seriously."

"Guess that means you have a high tolerance then huh?"

"I don't get drunk off of your normal sake if that is what you're referring to. there's only one kind that does that."

"Really what's that?"

"Eight Purification Sake."

"never heard of it."

"I wouldn't think you would it's only made in the celestial plains. It's made from the finest of rice stocks and purest of water and the taste can't even compare to the vista of the gods that you have in your stock."

"Sounds like some amazing booze."

"yes it is…" I take another puff on my pipe before staring out the window again.

"What are you thinking Yuri?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"you almost look as if you're worried about something." we stare into each others eyes for a long moment, "if you're worried about something; you should talk about it."

"I don't have that luxury." I say looking away, "besides talking about it will not change the fact that things are the way they are; the only thing I need to worry about is how to destroy the darkness that now plagues the Lower plains."

"That doesn't mean you're not worried though; even leaders get worried about things." Taking another sip of the bad tasting sake I stare back out at the sky.

"I'm not necessarily worried; I have no doubt in my mind that I will do my duty as Okami…more so I'm contemplating."

"what about?"

"our worlds have become so ignorant of the other it's as if they do not even exist in the same universe. We, the Celestials that is, have become so content with living in the celestial plains it's almost as if we've forgotten that we have a duty to protect the Lower plains from afar, just as the Lower plains have forgotten about us."

"Is that a problem?"

"No not really it's just different seeing how things are than when they were a long time ago. My mother often even after evil was expunged would travel to the Lower plains to see what was going on how the humans were living. Her Celestial envoy at the time Issun was doing everything in his power to keep the peoples belief in the gods alive; but little by little it became clearer that humans would not willingly believe any more. eventually the celestial envoys stopped their voyages and little by little the people forgot about us. even as a wolf the humans could not see my mother for the god that she was; they could no longer see the red markings. Eventually my mother stopped making her frequent visits to the lower plains. I remember on her final trip when she returned she had such a pained look on her face that I couldn't help but ask what it was that made her look that way. She responded by telling me: There is no need to protect the humans any more; evil is gone and the gods no longer exist in their eyes."

"So it wasn't by choice that you guys disappeared?" he asks as I take another long puff on my pipe.

"I believe so yes… after that we have not had contact with your world."

"is that why you find it so hard to find a reason to protect humans aside from it being your duty?" finally I stop inhaling and let out the trail of smoke.

"I honestly don't know but…I don't think it was right for us to give up so quickly on humans. Now we are paying the price for it." I turn my gaze from the stars to Morgan, "if we had still continued to watch over the humans instead of forgetting about them like they did us then most likely the evil that now lurks would not have had the chance to be released upon the world…"

"Yuri…"

"this is no one's fault but my own…I felt this way even before I took my mothers place but instead I ignored it and kept quiet. I only acted when I felt the disturbance; it was too late by then…"

"You're being too hard on yourself." A big hand lands on my head and ruffles my hair,

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Everyone makes mistakes but this isn't your fault Yuri; from the start you've been doing what you can to stop this from happening and you still are. you haven't failed."

"Morgan…"

"If anything…I was expecting for you to go back and call the cavalry but you kind of surprised me by staying." I can't help but be slightly put off by this and I feel my cheeks get hot,

"you do realize that I am older than you I don't need to be consoled like a child."

"Ah c'mon I'm trying to help hahah you could humor me a little." I remove his hand from the top of my head

"no…" he laughs at my reaction.

"Don't worry Yuri everything will be fine." I can't help but smirk,

"And how do you know that even Sakuya knew nothing about this new evil."

"just call it a lucky guess besides half the fun of an adventure is not knowing what will happen next."

"I find it quite funny that you're able to find a highlight in the situation." he holds up the jug of sake to me,

"Want some more; even though it's not that good?" for a moment I just stare before lifting the cup up,

"Very well."

While we chat into the late night I seem to forget for the time being about the trouble brewing on the horizon.


End file.
